Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Stanislav Stremidlovsky
[Regnum] An article signed by the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Valery Zaluzhny , about the “ deadlock ” situation at the front, published in the British magazine The Economist, caused a strong reaction from Polish military and civilian analysts. Its general message can be considered the headline in one of the Polish publications - “ Bad news from Ukraine. Are the soldiers tired of Zelensky? "
Earlier, the American magazine Time published a devastating article about the leader of the Kyiv regime. The Wirtualna Polska portal quoting her draws attention to the following points.
“One of Zelensky’s advisers told Time that significant changes in Ukraine’s military strategy and reshuffles in the presidential team are possible before the start of winter,” notes the Polish publication. “At least one minister could be fired, and the same is expected to happen to the senior general in charge of the counteroffensive.” This is supposed to be payback for the slow progress at the front."
At the same time, “according to one of Time’s interlocutors, some commanders on the front lines have begun to refuse to carry out orders to move forward, even if they come directly from the president’s office.”
Against this background, an article signed by Zaluzhny, in which he describes his own mistakes in preparing the “counter-offensive” and states that Ukraine is “bogged down in a long war,” where Russia has an advantage, looks like an anomaly.
In fact, the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is putting himself at risk by offering to blame the military failures of the Kyiv regime on him.
“I would deprive Zaluzhny of his position for mistakes in command,” says the former commander of the Polish ground forces, General Waldemar Skrzypczak, in this regard . “If he is the culprit of this unsuccessful counteroffensive, then I will consider his actions as sabotage and not as a mistake.” When a commander strikes where the enemy is strongest, it is a crime.”
Some Polish experts have suggested that Zaluzhny is thus appealing to the West, explaining that he must give Ukraine the most modern equipment, a lot of equipment, and at the same time send his people to work with it, since the Kiev regime does not have the ability to operate it on its own.
However, it is doubtful that Zaluzhny was so naive and believed that the West seriously cares about Ukraine.
Behind the statements of the high-ranking general, a different scenario is visible.
Retired Polish colleagues of Zaluzhny state that “the war will end not on the battlefield, but in the living rooms of politicians.” The goal will not be to bargain for lost lands, but simply to end the war, which will be the “defeat of Ukraine.”
The main obstacle to the negotiations remains Zelensky, whose belief in the final victory of Ukraine is so strong, Time writes, that it worries those around him.
“He is deceiving himself. We have no options. We won't win. But try telling him this,” one of Zelensky’s closest advisers told the American publication.
Zaluzhny’s admission of the actual defeat of Ukraine in this situation may be an attempt to provoke Zelensky to take some reckless emotional steps, up to and including dismissing the commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in disgrace.
Considering that the leader of the Kiev regime is hated in the army, while Zaluzhny enjoys enormous authority, and this is known to the Poles, the general has every chance of becoming the very “Ukrainian Mannerheim” and leading the country.
It is possible that this will happen as a result of the Ukrainian army’s march on Kyiv. The capital owes too much to the Ukrainians sent to the front. After all, as Jakub Ber, an expert at the Center for Oriental Studies, notes, mobilization de facto divided Ukraine into two parts - richer and poorer.
“ The mobilized are mainly residents of small towns and villages, a smaller part are from large cities, where more people live who are exempt from conscription (for example, university teachers), or wealthy people who can afford to “pay off” the military registration and enlistment office,” Ber reports . “ There is fermentation in the army, it is obvious that there is an urgent need to strengthen it, but not with equipment, but with people.”
So the army’s march on Kyiv will also become a classic war of the village against the city, with all the ensuing consequences.
But first, the Ukrainian military will need to “pause” the armed conflict with the Russian army. Perhaps Zaluzhny also implicitly speaks about this prospect.
If he does lead Ukraine, Polish politicians will have to look for approaches to him.
The task for Warsaw is difficult. Contacts with the Ukrainian general could be established by Raimund Andrzejczak , who, when he was the head of the Polish general staff, met with Zaluzny. But in October of this year, President Andrzej Duda dismissed Andrzejczak.
So for Poland, political upheavals in Ukraine will become a problem.
Retired Major General Boguslav Patsek, in an interview with the Biznes Alert portal, claims that the civilian Ukrainian population is so tired of the war that they are beginning to direct their anger at their own authorities. Zelensky’s popularity is falling, officials are accused of corruption and excessive mortality of those mobilized. Moreover, Patsek emphasizes, “ the Ukrainian government is accused of acting more in the interests of the United States than of Ukraine.”
This means that any subsequent Ukrainian government will be forced to increase the anti-American notes in its rhetoric, which will indirectly hit Warsaw, with its reputation as the most ardent pro-American puppet in Europe.
In addition, the new Ukrainian authorities are unlikely to forget the “tender friendship” of Polish President Andrzej Duda with Zelensky.
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