Valerii Zaluzhnyi, widely seen as President Volodymyr Zelensky's top political rival since being ousted as Ukraine's army chief in 2024 and appointed ambassador to Britain, has spoken publicly for the first time about a deep rift between them. In an interview with The Associated Press, the 52-year-old former general said tensions emerged soon after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and often flared over how best to defend the country.
Zaluzhnyi alleged that the strained relationship reached a boiling point in late 2022 when dozens of agents from Ukraine's domestic intelligence service, the SBU, raided his office. He described the previously unreported incident as an act of intimidation. The SBU denied any search took place at his office, though it acknowledged the address was part of an unrelated investigation into organized crime. Zelensky's office declined to comment. The AP could not independently verify Zaluzhnyi's account.
During the raid, Zaluzhnyi said he called Zelensky's chief of staff and warned he was prepared to call in the military to stop it, stating: 'I will fight with you and have already called in reinforcements to the center of Kyiv for support.' The near crisis passed, but disagreements persisted, particularly over a failed 2023 counteroffensive. Zaluzhnyi claimed the plan, crafted with NATO partners, failed because Zelensky and other officials would not commit the necessary resources.
Zelensky dismissed Zaluzhnyi as army chief in February 2024 and later sent him to London as ambassador, a move analysts saw as an effort to limit his political potential. Zaluzhnyi refuses to discuss political ambitions, citing the need for national unity during the war, now approaching its fourth anniversary. However, his public revelation threatens to polarize opinion as Russian forces make gains and the US pushes for a peace deal.
