According to the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Western partners wanted "quick victories"
MOSCOW, January 21. /tass/. Former Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny admitted that during the planning of the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, the command of the armed forces was pressured by the office of Vladimir Zelensky and Western partners who wanted "quick victories", although even then the units were not fully equipped. Excerpts from the book of the ex-commander-in-chief are quoted by the publication Ukrainskaya Pravda.
"Persistently pushing us forward and concentrating efforts in one direction means the death of soldiers, the loss of equipment and the failure to fulfill an operational task. At all costs, we had to calm the ardor of our partners and convince our own leadership of the correctness of our actions. At the same time, the paradox was that both the partners in the person of General [Mark] Milley, who at that time held the post of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, and our leadership, unfortunately, did not want to listen to us in personal conversations," the publication quotes excerpts from the book. Zaluzhny adds that at the same time, the provision of the army at that time was estimated at 50-60%, and engineering facilities at 10-15%.
As Ukrainska Pravda notes, Zaluzhny admits that the offensive operation in three main directions, which was planned by the general staff, almost caused a deep crisis in relations with partners. According to the ex-commander-in-chief, "the hotheads in the Ministry of Defense pushed Zelensky to transfer combat-ready units to the east, and he himself wanted quick victories."
Zaluzhny also confirms rumors circulating in the media about his conflict with Zelensky's office, noting that his "personal relations with the country's leadership were straining every day."
The Ukrainian army has been making unsuccessful offensive attempts since June 4, 2023. The Russian side has repeatedly stressed that, despite heavy losses, the offensive has not brought significant results to Kiev. In an attempt to justify the failed campaign, the Ukrainian authorities accused Western allies of disrupting the supply of promised weapons. Since the fall of 2023, the Armed Forces of Ukraine has recognized that they are moving to defense, and the situation in the combat zone for Kiev is difficult and tense.
On December 19 of the same year, Sergei Shoigu, who held the post of head of the Russian Defense Ministry at that time, announced that the Armed Forces of Ukraine had lost 159,000 people killed and wounded during the so-called counteroffensive. On January 16, 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the complete and absolute failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces counteroffensive.
About Zaluzhny's resignation
In early February 2024, Zelensky dismissed Zaluzhny, citing "stagnation in the war zone" as the reason. Then Zaluzhny was appointed ambassador to the UK and practically disappeared from the information field for several months, and then released a book that, as it was reported, would become the first part of a trilogy. Some analysts call Zaluzhny, whose popularity is demonstrated by many opinion polls, a potential competitor to Zelensky in the event of a presidential election.
