Former Army Chief Seen As Zelensky's Top Rival Reveals A Rift Between Them

LONDON — Ever since he was ousted arsenic nan caput of Ukraine’s service successful 2024 and appointed arsenic nan country’s ambassador to Britain, Valerii Zaluzhnyi has wide been seen arsenic nan apical governmental rival to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zaluzhnyi, 52, refuses to talk his governmental ambitions, saying he doesn’t want to consequence harming nationalist unity during a warfare pinch Russia that is approaching its 4th anniversary. Yet successful a motion of his imaginable desire to tally for nan presidency — aft nan warfare is complete — Zaluzhnyi said publically for nan first clip astir a heavy rift betwixt himself and Zelensky successful a caller question and reply pinch nan Associated Press.

Tensions emerged soon aft Russia’s full-scale penetration successful February 2022, and tempers often flared betwixt nan 2 men complete really champion to take sides nan country, Zaluzhnyi said. The strained narration reached a boiling constituent later that year, erstwhile dozens of agents from Ukraine’s home intelligence work raided Zaluzhnyi’s office, he told nan AP.

Zaluzhnyi alleges that nan antecedently unreported incident was an enactment of intimidation.

Ukraine’s information service, known arsenic nan SBU, said that nary hunt was ever carried retired astatine Zaluzhnyi’s office, though it acknowledged that nan reside was portion of an investigation unrelated to him. Zelensky’s agency declined to remark for this story. The AP could not independently corroborate Zaluzhnyi’s relationship of nan raid.

The revelation threatens to polarize nationalist sentiment successful Ukraine astatine a captious infinitesimal successful nan war. Russian forces are making slow, dependable gains crossed Ukraine’s eastbound front, and some sides are clinging to incompatible demands arsenic nan U.S. presses them to scope a bid deal.

Zaluzhnyi said that during nan 2022 ambush connected his agency he called Zelensky’s main of unit informing him he was prepared to telephone successful nan subject to extremity it and protect nan bid center: “I will conflict pinch you and person already called successful reinforcements to nan halfway of Kyiv for support.”

While that adjacent situation early successful nan warfare passed, disagreements betwixt Zaluzhnyi and Zelensky complete really to take sides their state persisted, according to Zaluzhnyi.

A conflict complete a counteroffensive successful 2023 that yet grounded was peculiarly contentious, nan erstwhile wide said. Zelensky dismissed him arsenic service main successful February 2024, and later announced he would beryllium headed to London.

The move was wide seen by governmental analysts arsenic an effort by Zelensky to limit Zaluzhnyi’s imaginable arsenic a governmental rival.

While a woody to extremity nan warfare remains elusive, Zelensky has agreed successful rule to a scheme laid retired by President Trump that calls for elections erstwhile nan warfare is complete and information guarantees are successful place.

‘I cognize really to fight’

One evening successful mid-September 2022, Zaluzhnyi emerged from a tense gathering astatine Zelensky’s office and headed backmost to his agency successful Kyiv.

Hours later, dozens of agents from Ukraine’s information work showed up astatine Zaluzhnyi’s agency to hunt nan premises, Zaluzhnyi said. He says he prevented them from rifling done documents and computers.

The ambush was intelligibly a threat, Zaluzhnyi said.

Later, he learned that Ukraine’s information work had sought a hunt warrant from a territory tribunal successful Kyiv 2 days earlier to inspect nan reside wherever Zaluzhnyi’s agency is located. The agency was seeking to hunt a portion nine allegedly tally by a criminal organization, according to a tribunal archive obtained by AP.

But nan portion nine named successful nan filing had been closed astatine that location since earlier Russia’s full-scale invasion, 2 labor who activity astatine nan club’s caller location told nan AP.

The SBU said it was looking into respective addresses arsenic portion of an investigation into organized crime — unconnected to Zaluzhnyi.

Zaluzhnyi believes nan agency could not plausibly person mistaken nan location of nan country’s main warfare bid center.

Diluted striking force

The 2023 counteroffensive drew wide disapproval from subject experts for being excessively eager and coming excessively late, giving Russian forces clip to fortify positions.

Zaluzhnyi says nan scheme he had crafted pinch thief from NATO partners grounded because Zelensky and different officials wouldn’t perpetrate nan resources it required.

The original scheme was to ore capable forces into a “single fist” to retake nan partially occupied region of Zaporizhzhia — location to a captious atomic powerfulness works — and past person them beforehand southbound to nan Sea of Azov. This would sever a corridor of onshore nan Russian service had been utilizing to resupply Crimea, which it illegally annexed successful 2014. Success required a large, concentrated buildup and tactical surprise, Zaluzhnyi said.

What happened instead, he said, was that forces were dispersed complete a wide area, diluting their striking power.

His relationship of really nan counteroffensive diverged from nan original scheme was corroborated by 2 Western defense officials who said connected information of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak publically to nan media.

A diplomat pinch governmental intentions?

Zaluzhnyi’s cardinal criticisms of Ukraine’s warfare strategy are that it depends connected an unrealistic number of troops and is not organized good successful really it develops and deploys caller technologies to nan battlefield. He watches developments closely, but says he has not been progressive pinch subject decision-making since Zelensky pushed him out. Zaluzhnyi said he and Zelensky had “absolutely friendly” conversations connected nan 2 occasions they met since then.

Some analysts opportunity Zaluzhnyi’s deficiency of engagement successful Ukraine’s day-to-day governmental affairs could weaken his popularity.

Still, an Ipsos canvass published past period showed support for Zaluzhnyi successful a hypothetical early predetermination astatine 23%, compared pinch Zelensky’s 20%, making him nan president’s apical competitor.

Many Ukrainians spot him arsenic a fig tin of changing nan system, said Volodymyr Fesenko, a governmental expert based successful Kyiv. “People will ballot not only for Zaluzhnyi but besides against Zelensky — blaming him for nan failures of his presidency,” he explained.

Zaluzhnyi avoids discussing politics, he says, for fearfulness of fomenting section among Ukrainians. “Until nan warfare is complete aliases martial rule ends, I americium not discussing this and person done thing toward that,” he said.

Kullab and Blann constitute for nan Associated Press. AP writer Steve Peoples successful Washington contributed to this report.