Former army chief seen as Zelenskyy’s top rival reveals to AP a rift between them

Former Ukrainian Military Chief Reveals Tensions with President Zelenskyy Amid War

Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine’s former army commander who now serves as ambassador to Britain, has disclosed details of a significant rift between himself and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that emerged shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

In his first public comments about the tensions, Zaluzhnyi told The Associated Press about numerous disagreements over military strategy that culminated in a previously unreported raid on his office by Ukraine’s domestic intelligence service in September 2022.

According to Zaluzhnyi, dozens of agents from Ukraine’s security service (SBU) arrived at his military headquarters while British officers were present. The former general claims he interpreted the incident as an act of intimidation and responded by calling Zelenskyy’s then-chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, with a stark warning that he was prepared to call in military reinforcements to protect the command center.

“I told Yermak that I would repel this attack, because I know how to fight,” Zaluzhnyi recounted, adding that he had “already called in reinforcements to the center of Kyiv for support.”

The SBU has denied conducting a search at Zaluzhnyi’s office, acknowledging only that the address was part of an unrelated investigation into organized crime. In a statement, the agency claimed the location turned out to be “a recently established covert backup command post” of Zaluzhnyi’s. Zelenskyy’s office declined to comment on the matter.

The revelation comes at a critical juncture in the war, with Russian forces making steady advances along Ukraine’s eastern front and international pressure mounting for peace negotiations. Military analysts suggest the public disclosure of such high-level tensions could further polarize Ukrainian society as the war approaches its fourth year.

Zaluzhnyi, who was dismissed as army chief in February 2024 and subsequently appointed ambassador to Britain, also detailed significant disagreements over the failed 2023 counteroffensive. He claims the operation fell short because Zelenskyy and other officials refused to commit adequate resources to his original plan, which had been crafted with NATO assistance.

The initial strategy, according to Zaluzhnyi, involved concentrating forces to retake the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region and advance southward to sever Russia’s land corridor to Crimea. Instead, he says Ukrainian forces were dispersed over a wide area, diluting their striking power. Two Western defense officials, speaking anonymously, corroborated Zaluzhnyi’s account of how the counteroffensive diverged from the original plan.

Despite being stationed in London, Zaluzhnyi maintains close watch on battlefield developments through real-time drone feeds in his embassy office, though he says he has not been involved in military decision-making since his dismissal.

Polls consistently place Zaluzhnyi slightly ahead of Zelenskyy in hypothetical future elections. An Ipsos survey published last month showed 23% support for Zaluzhnyi compared to 20% for Zelenskyy, whose popularity has declined amid the prolonged conflict and corruption scandals implicating several top officials.

Volodymyr Fesenko, a political analyst based in Kyiv, suggests many Ukrainians view Zaluzhnyi as a potential change agent. “People will vote not only for Zaluzhnyi but also against Zelenskyy — blaming him for the failures of his presidency,” he explained.

Despite his potential as a political rival, Zaluzhnyi has publicly avoided discussing future political ambitions, saying he doesn’t want to risk national unity during wartime. “Until the war is over or martial law ends, I am not discussing this and have done nothing toward that,” he stated.

Nevertheless, campaign consultants and political figures continue to approach him. Zaluzhnyi revealed that a “fairly well known” American political consultant contacted him in spring 2025. An official close to Zaluzhnyi identified the consultant as Paul Manafort, former chairman of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign who had previously lobbied for Ukraine’s former pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.

“I thanked him for paying attention to me, but said that I did not need his services,” Zaluzhnyi recounted. Manafort, who received a presidential pardon from Trump, did not respond to requests for comment from the AP.

The revelations come as the United States increases pressure on both Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict, with President Trump proposing a peace plan that would include elections after the war concludes and security guarantees are established.