In the tumultuous arena of politics during war, there exists a precarious situation that poses a significant threat to a president’s power – the presence of an immensely popular general. The sudden removal of a respected figure poses a significant threat to the president’s authority and credibility.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is taking a risky move by not persuading Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi to resign as commander in chief. Despite some politicians suggesting reconciliation, rumors of the general’s dismissal persist in Kyiv.
Zaluzhnyi’s popularity rivals Zelenskiy’s in Ukraine. This is the main cause of the current crisis, as stated by opposition MP Oleksii Goncharenko.
“It’s about the personal relationships between them. I don’t think it’s about the conduct of the war,” stated Goncharenko. “Zelenskiy, being an actor, seems to want to be the sole star of the show. Both of them appear to be emotionally exhausted after the past two years.”
It is unclear why Zelenskiy is willing to risk alienating Zaluzhnyi, apart from potentially eliminating a political rival for the upcoming election. If there are differences in tactics and strategy, they have not been publicly disclosed. However, regardless of the cause of the split, its evident seriousness and the way it has been handled have exposed Kyiv’s weaknesses.
“According to Konstantin Skorkin, a political analyst writing for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as the war in Ukraine enters its second year, there is no longer any trace of unity among the Ukrainian elite. The longer the conflict persists, the stronger the temptation to find someone to blame, and the more significant the threat of internal destabilization becomes.”
“I am afraid that if Zaluzhnyi is sacked, it will hurt the morale of society. That is the problem,” stated Goncharenko. “I don’t believe it will directly impact the battlefield, but the real problem lies in the influence on societal morale.”
