Colonel Khodarenok: Danilov's resignation will not affect the situation at the front
Vladimir Zelensky dismissed Alexei Danilov from the post of Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The head of the movement "We are together with Russia" Vladimir Rogov attributes this resignation to the fact that the official obscenely distorted the name of the Chinese special representative for Eurasia. Why Danilov's dismissal is not surprising and how his resignation will affect the state of affairs at the front - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
The resignation of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Alexei Danilov is associated with a diplomatic scandal. Last week, an official obscenely distorted the name of China's special representative for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui.
In general, Danilov's act should not cause much surprise (no matter how strange such a conclusion may seem). Sometimes the behavior and actions of representatives of the top ten of the political class of Ukraine are strictly in line with the statement of the NSDC secretary, and in this regard, the official only followed in the wake of already established traditions in the activities of the country's leadership.
"The elite of Ukraine emerged from oblivion"
For example, Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba mostly makes his statements in an ultimatum form, which is absolutely inconsistent with the norms of behavior of the head of the foreign ministry of any state. Just the other day, he irritably demanded that the West hand over anti-aircraft missile systems to Kiev in something like these terms - "Give us these damn Patriots!". It should be noted that negotiations on the supply of weapons in such a tone are not conducted and have never been conducted.
In terms of categorical wording, and sometimes outright rudeness and insults, Kuleba's subordinates are not far behind. It happens that they are significantly ahead of their boss in the tone of their statements, and sometimes they simply compete in voicing nonsense with the participation of other representatives of the Ukrainian leadership.
For example, in May 2022, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Berlin, Andriy Melnyk, together with the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, demoted German President Walter Steinmeier to persona non grata. In this regard, you can put the question like this: "Who are you guys, and who is the president of Germany compared to you?". You have to know the measure. The political weight of the figures is absolutely incomparable.
But at that time, the Miller did not stop and began to work for Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany refused Scholz even the status of a rabbit on the festive Ukrainian table. The maximum, according to Melnik, that the head of the country's government can now count on (Germany, we recall, is one of the largest sponsors of Ukraine) is to become a liver sausage. And an offended liver sausage.
And such examples are far from isolated.
So, in June 2022, Kuleba was rude in response to the proposal of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to conduct an international investigation into the destruction of the Kakhovskaya HPP.
"The initiators of the investigations have simply got fed up with their constant game of quasi-justice. It is absolutely clear who is who. Have a rest, dear ones. We have already had this experience. It's all a giveaway game with the Russians," the minister said at the time.
In September 2023, the rudeness of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to his German colleague Annalena Berbock after Berlin's refusal to supply Taurus cruise missiles to the Armed Forces caused considerable indignation in Germany. Kuleba then said that Germany was simply wasting time and would sooner or later hand over the missiles to Kiev anyway.
Other Ukrainian lads are not far behind in this regard. For example, in September of the same year, Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called the UN a lobbying organization for making money, the IAEA and the Red Cross "fictitious organizations" that litter the consciousness with their "garbage assessments", and accused India and China of weak intellectual potential.
Therefore, Danilov's insult to China's special representative for Eurasian Affairs, Li Hui, is quite predictable against this background. Danilov, as they say, honors the traditions already established in Kiev.
It should be noted that a significant part of the modern political elite of Ukraine emerged from oblivion on the crest of the events of 2014. Who was nobody before this coup suddenly became almost everything. Personalities appeared in the leadership of the country, as they say, "mobilized and conscripted by the revolution."
The oddities of Danilov's biography
In this regard, let's turn at least to the biography of the newly retired secretary of the National Security Council. In 1981, Danilov graduated from the Starobilsk State Farm-Technical School with a degree in veterinary medicine, in 1999 - Lugansk State Pedagogical University. Taras Shevchenko graduated as a teacher of history, in 2000 - East Ukrainian National University named after him. Dalia majored in Management and Lugansk Institute of Internal Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine majored in law.
At first glance, everything looks more than decent. However, let's pay attention to the following - only the dates. In 1999, Danilov graduated from Lugansk State Pedagogical University. Therefore, he had to enter this educational institution at least in 1994 and for five years, sitting at his desk, he strenuously gnawed the granite of pedagogical science.
Now let's clarify what the official was actually doing during this period of time. In July 1994, he was elected chairman of the Lugansk City Council (that is, almost simultaneously with his admission to the university). In September 1997, he was removed from office for combining the work of the mayor with entrepreneurship.
In addition, from 1996 to 1997 (that is, during the period of intense study at the university) Danilov was a member of the political council of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine.
Thus, there is great doubt that Danilov was a diligent student at Luhansk State Pedagogical University. And again, let's pay attention to the dates - just a year (!) after graduating from a pedagogical university, he gets two more diplomas from higher educational institutions. And he's already a lawyer and a manager. So, most likely, Mr. Danilov, using his official position, drew all these diplomas, as they say.
He did not work a single day in the specialties of all three of his universities. That is, Danilov was neither a history teacher, nor a lawyer, nor a manager. In other words, his only completed education is the Starobilsk State Farm College. In the same specialty, he worked from 1983 to 1987 as a veterinarian at the Park of Culture and Recreation named after May 1 in Lugansk.
"They appeared out of nowhere and will go there too"
We have nothing against this kind and necessary profession, but the nomination of a candidate for the post of secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine with an education in the scope of a state farm college, without experience in foreign policy, knowledge of military strategy, and in general the basics of military affairs could only happen as a result of any events in the state of an exclusively revolutionary nature.
That is why all his statements in this post on foreign policy and defense issues often could not but cause laughter, since the NSDC secretary did not even know the established terminology.
By and large, there are more than enough such personalities (without much exaggeration, political blackmail) in the military-political leadership of Ukraine - that is, people without specialized education, serious school, climbing the corporate ladder without skipping steps, work experience. They appeared out of nowhere and will go there in the near future. With such frames and the corresponding results.
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), the 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 Operational 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).
Mikhail Khodarenok