What Zelensky said
In an interview with AFP, President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to public remarks by the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, now ambassador to the United Kingdom, Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The head of state expressed surprise that critical comments are appearing during the war and questioned the appropriateness of discussing internal details when "this is about our army."
"Probably we all had the same feeling: isn't this all a bit premature?.. ...This is about our army, it is fighting today. And he, I believe, will not look good if [he] talks about this and continues [to do so], etc."
— Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine (interview with AFP)
Context: interview, searches, opinion polls
On February 18, Associated Press published an interview with Zaluzhnyi in which he spoke about Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) searches at his former command center in the fall of 2022 and suggested those actions may have been intended to intimidate. The SBU, in turn, said those actions were not related to the ex-commander. In the same interview, Zaluzhnyi criticized the preparation for the 2023 counteroffensive, pointing to a lack of resources.
Currently opinion polls show high name recognition for Zaluzhnyi as a potential political competitor — a question journalists raised with the President during the conversation. Zelensky is convinced that it is more important now to focus on the war than on personal ambitions.
Why this matters
Trust in the army. Public disputes between the former military leadership and the Office of the President can weaken perceptions of unity both before an external enemy and inside the country. When it concerns combat units and logistics, public discussion of internal procedures can be distracting or create unnecessary doubts.
Political backdrop. Questions about Zaluzhnyi's possible participation in elections shift the discussion from the military sphere into the political one. This creates a risk of turning a military authority into a political symbol, which always complicates civil-military relations.
Precedent. There has already been a case in the public domain where critical remarks by a diplomat led to personnel consequences — in 2023, media reported that a previous ambassador to the United Kingdom lost his post eight days after criticizing the president. Such a background makes the situation more sensitive for both sides.
What it means for readers and the risks ahead
For the average citizen, this is a question of security and clarity: do we have consolidated military leadership working for results? For international partners, it is a signal about internal stability and the ability to manage processes during wartime.
Outlook
It is unlikely that a single episode will change the balance of forces by itself, but a series of public disputes can transform into a broader political narrative. The next move is up to the parties: will the conflict turn into internal clarification of processes and communication, or will it escalate into ongoing confrontations — this will determine both domestic trust and international perceptions of Ukraine.
Sources: AFP interview, Associated Press materials, comments from LIGA.net, official statements of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
