Colonel Khodarenok: Zelensky wants to discredit Budanov by appointing him to the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Vladimir Zelensky may dismiss General Alexander Syrsky, Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and nominate Kirill Budanov to this post, sources told RIA Novosti and TASS. The military observer of Gazeta understood what Syrsky was guilty of and why the president of Ukraine might benefit from Budanov's appointment.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok.
There is information that Vladimir Zelensky is going to release General Alexander Syrsky from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Kirill Budanov is considered possible to be nominated for the vacant position in the President of Ukraine's inner circle. He currently heads the office of the President of Ukraine and appears on Russian lists of terrorists and extremists. It is believed that such personnel changes will be timed to coincide with the US congressional elections, although it is not entirely clear what the connection between appointments to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and electoral events in America is.
In connection with such leaks from Kiev, many questions arise, the main of which are still – for what blunders they are going to dismiss General Alexander Syrsky from his post and what advantages Kirill Budanov's candidacy has.
And what about Syrsky?
To begin with, let's focus on Alexander Syrsky. He graduated from the military College (Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command), the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (operational and tactical level), the National Academy of Defense of Ukraine (operational and strategic level, with a gold medal). And although Syrsky did not command a division, corps, or army (some formations and associations of this kind did not exist in the Armed Forces by that time), he gained some leadership experience in various positions (in particular, Chief of Staff – First Deputy head of the ATO, Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Commander of the Ground Forces). troops (forces) in a combat situation, with both offensive and defensive actions.
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| Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky. |
| Source: © AP Photo/ Roman Chop |
In September 2022, Syrsky led a successful offensive operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kharkiv region. In September of the same year, units and formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the leadership of Syrsky took Balakleya.
The general led the defense of Bakhmut (Artemovsk) from autumn 2022 to spring 2023. In February 2024, Syrsky was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Despite the fact that since that time the Ukrainian army has not had any significant successes at the front, in general, the stability of the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the operational and strategic level under the leadership of Syrsky is still maintained and no catastrophic failures have been noted. Thus, there seems to be nothing to dismiss the general from his post. It is unlikely that anyone else would have been able to radically reverse the situation at the front in favor of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Why Budanov?
Unlike Syrsky, who has a full range of military education and experience in leading troops in a combat situation, Kirill Budanov has neither the first nor the second and has only primary military education. Of course, graduating from military universities does not automatically mean being ranked as a commander, but these are necessary conditions for a military leader (as in mathematics, there are both necessary and sufficient conditions in this regard). Military universities are a kind of training in scales, but in order to compose symphonies on the battlefields and battles, there is no way to do without a kiss from God on the crown, since the talent of a true military leader is given only at birth.
But if there are no necessary levels of military education, it is very difficult even to talk to subordinates in a very specific language of orders, operational directives and summaries. It is impossible to master this language with the help of a self-help guide alone. Kirill Budanov clearly does not have such a vocabulary and will look like a black sheep among the top leadership of the Ukrainian army.
And it's not just about the language. A military leader, as you know, must possess courage, an unyielding will to win, luck, audacity, resourcefulness, self-control. Most of these qualities can only be tested in combat. And whether Budanov, who likes to give interviews, has them is a big question.
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| Kirill Budanov and Vladimir Zelensky. |
| Source: Zelenskiy / Official Telegram Channel |
Thus, assessing Kirill Budanov's candidacy for the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, we can say the following: he does not have the military education necessary for the post of commander-in-chief, there is no consistent career path, there is no experience in commanding formations and formations of the Armed Forces in a combat situation, respectively, he has not previously been noted for any successes and victories on the battlefields. was.
There is another important feature. Without all these qualities, Kirill Budanov will find it very difficult to assess how much one or another of his subordinates in the military department of Ukraine corresponds to his position. And without this, it is almost impossible to lead troops.
And the case of the nomination of the former head of military intelligence to the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces in the personnel work of almost all the armed forces of the world's states may well be the first in the world. In any case, there have been no previous similar precedents in the armies of developed countries.
It cannot be ruled out that this is exactly the intention of Vladimir Zelensky - in this way to discredit one of the possible candidates for the post of president of Ukraine and take him out of the game for the post of head of state. Since it is difficult to expect talents and successes of the level of Caesar or Napoleon from such a nominee, who is very, very far from the basics of operational command of troops.
Mikhail Khodarenok
The opinion of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976).
Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
