An internal conflict has emerged in Ukraine’s leadership after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky refused the proposal of one of his top military commanders who, weeks ago, called for a withdrawal from a key Donbas city rather than keep defending it as Russian troops threatened to take control.
According to Kyiv insiders cited by Bild on Monday, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine armed forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, advised Zelensky to abandon Bakhmut – known as Artyomovsk in Russia – but Zelensky stated that they would defend the city as long as it remains reasonable..
Refusing to pull troops back after Moscow’s forces have made notable advances in the fight for the city, Zelensky declared Bakhmut a fortress in a sign that Ukraine’s head of state and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces had fundamentally different views on how Ukraine’s army should deal with Bakhmut.
Zelensky, who fears a morale hit that such a move would cause, didn’t change his mind even under Washington’s pressure for Ukrainian troops to pull out of Bakhmut and focus on preparing a major counteroffensive for the spring using Western-supplied weapons.
Ukrainian troops on the ground do not understand why Bakhmut is being held considering the fact that a withdrawal from it would not be decisive since the city has no strategic importance from a military point of view even thou it is part of a 70km defense line Kyiv created since initiated the fighting in Donbas in 2014.
They believe they should have withdrawn from the destroyed city – which became a political symbol only through Russia’s focus on it and the deployment of thousands of Wagner’s mercenaries there – a long time ago.
Recently, however, it became clear that Zaluzhny’s beef with Zelensky is no longer just about military issues since the popularity he has earned by leading Ukraine’s military campaign against Russia makes him a viable challenger to Zelensky in a potential presidential run.
Although Zaluzhny has not publicly announced any ambition to run for office, rumors have been circulating for months now in Ukraine regarding the president’s concerns over possible competition.
