Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly advised Valery Zaluzny, the most popular general in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, to resign – but Zaluzny refused. The media reports, which did not include details on the matter and cited unnamed sources, sparked a backlash, with the president’s office quick to announce that Zaluzny had not been fired. However, many users expressed their support for the Ukrainian general on social media.

On the one hand, this particular news caused a sensation for two reasons: on the one hand, because it concerned the possible resignation of Ukraine’s most important general in the middle of the war, and on the other hand, because of the government’s opaque and contradictory communication policy. On the other hand, many were not particularly surprised.

Tremors in Zelensky-Zaluzny relations

Already in the first months of the Russian invasion there were rumors of tensions in the relationship between the two men, rumors that intensified further in the summer of 2022 – it was said, among other things, that the president or even his entourage was politically jealous of Zaluzny. Then Zelensky wanted to react by publishing a photo of himself with Zaluzny.

For a considerable time the speculations subsided. Last November, however, in an interview and article in the British Economist magazine, Zaluzny admitted that the Ukrainian army’s counterattack had failed – Zelensky then partially denied the general, stressing that the fight at the front has not reached a dead end. However, the disagreement between the two was enough to rekindle rumors of a conflict.

The Ukrainian president replaced senior officers and communicated with generals bypassing Zaluzny. Zelensky even decided to replace all military commissars in order to combat recruitment corruption – a decision that Zaluzny did not hesitate to criticize. The latter also distanced himself from the presidential announcement for the mobilization of half a million soldiers, which the army reportedly requested. In a recent press conference, Zelensky stated that he has a “working relationship” with Zaluzny and made it clear how displeased he was with the comments of the supreme commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

It is also worth mentioning that at the end of November, Mariana Besoula, a member of parliament from the “Servant of the People” party, the faction of President Zelensky, openly demanded the resignation of Zaluzny, accusing him of not having a plan for the development of the war in 2024. And relations between Zelensky and Zaluzny also worsened due to the new legislation on the mobilization of soldiers, which caused public controversy and was eventually revised. Also, a Russian Il-76 military transport plane recently crashed, in which – according to the Russians – dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war destined for exchange were on board. And the aircraft in question was shot down by the Ukrainian armed forces. President Zelensky called for an international investigation into the tragic incident.

The appeal of Zaluzni is unprecedented

The 50-year-old Zaluzny comes from a military family and is the first commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who did not study in Soviet military schools, but in Ukrainian ones. When in 2021 Zelensky invited him to take up his current duties, Zaluzny stated that he was positively surprised – stressing at the time that his relationship with the president is very good.

After the Russian invasion Zaluzny quickly became a symbol of the successful Ukrainian defensive war against Russian troops. Confidence in his person is greater than that enjoyed by Zelensky, whose popularity seems to be on the decline. In polls last December, around 88-94% of Ukrainians seem to trust Zaluzny, while 3/4 of respondents avoid his removal. Support for Zelensky on the other hand ranges from 62-77%. Zaluzny has become a very popular persona: pictures of him are painted on walls, songs are written about him, and his portrait is even on T-shirts.

However, Zaluzny does not like to appear in public often. He rarely gives interviews and mainly to Western media. As the supreme commander of the Ukrainian army, however, he is not aloof. Before the Russian invasion he was active on social media, posting photos of his family – unusual for a general. When after the start of the war his Instagram account was hacked, Zaluzny reacted angrily to the Russian army: “We will kill them all.”

Zaluzny’s talents are also recognized by Ukraine’s western partners. The general has even reached the cover of the American magazine Time. However, the U.S. they also had their disagreements with the Ukrainian military. When General Mark Miley, the former chief of the US Army Joint Chiefs of Staff, suggested that Ukraine consider opening negotiations with Russia, Zaluzny publicly responded that the Ukrainian military rejects any such scenario. According to press reports, during the beginning of the Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, no US military official could contact Zaluzny.

Does Zaluzny want to be president?

Although Zaluzny is adored in Ukraine, he has also had some setbacks. The investigation into how Russia managed to seize the southern parts of Ukraine so quickly remains ongoing. Why did the Ukrainian army fail to stop the Russian offensive in Kherson and Zaporizhia in February 2022, even though the advance from Crimea seems to have been expected? According to the media, the investigators have asked for an explanation on the specific issue from Zaluzny as well.

Does the general want to be president after all? There are indications in this direction. In this case, the reason behind the disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzny may lie in a potential political rivalry. However, Zaluzny has not publicly expressed such political ambitions – although, should that eventually change, he knows he can count on the support of a significant part of Ukrainian society.