Zaluzhnyi Claims Office Raid Amid Zelenskyy Rift

Specifically, in September 2022, several months into the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, dozens of SBU officers entered Zaluzhnyi's Kyiv headquarters not knowing what their intent was or why they had come to his facility but attempting to access private documents, electronic records, and other information in what Zaluzhnyi believed was a hidden backup command centre. Zaluzhnyi stated that he refused to allow SBU officers access to the materials and that he later spoke with SBU leadership to help clear the confusion over their right to search his office. The SBU denied that they were searching his office but stated that they were searching for other locations believed to be connected to organized crime.

Tensions Develop
Zaluzhnyi suggested that the incident illustrated the rising tensions between him and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and that he had spoken to the president's Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak, while the SBU officers were present in his office. Based on Zaluzhnyi's testimony, he indicated he would resist what he considers to be pressuring him by stating that he "knew how to fight" and he had called more troops to central Kyiv to assist him with the preparations for this.

While the former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that there were disagreements between him and President Zelenskyy regarding military strategy, it has been brought to light that the primary area of disagreement was seen in the differences in strategy during Ukraine's counteroffensive efforts during 2023. In this operation (where Ukraine aimed to retake the occupied territory), there was disappointment shown by many military analysts as they indicated this operation was launched too late to be successful, as it gave the Russian forces adequate time to create defensive obstacles to thwart any counterattack. Zaluzhnyi asserts that early in the planning process, he developed a strategy with NATO allies to concentrate the available forces as a "single fist" to break through Russian defences; however, he says, there was no political will to allocate appropriate resources to implement this strategy.

Political Career Options: Public Support
Despite being quite popular with Ukrainian citizens following past battlefield successes, Zaluzhnyi was removed from his position as Chief of the Armed Forces on February 24, 2024 and appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Most analysts viewed this move as an attempt to lessen his influence as a potential rival to Zelenskyy by removing him from issues associated with domestic military and political affairs.

As demonstrated by an Ipsos poll released last month, Zaluzhnyi has continued to gain significant support among the Ukrainian people, leading in popularity among potential candidates for the next presidential election with 23% of the vote as compared to President Zelenskyy's 20%. Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko assert that some of this support can be attributed to the disgust voters feel towards Zelenskyy regarding political/military failures.

As the war with Russia nears its fourth year, President Zelenskyy's popularity has nose-dived following a very public corruption scandal that surfaced in the midst of the investigation conducted by various anti-corruption agencies into the energy sector in Ukraine. As a result of the investigation, law enforcement has charged several individuals with multiple offences and has increased the scrutiny faced by every senior official and individual within the government. Public confidence in President Zelenskyy has diminished to such an extent that he was required to further reshuffle his cabinet following the November 2023 incident, where anti-corruption investigators raided Andriy Yermak's home in search of evidence supporting the corrupt practices of Yermak.

Zaluzhnyi appears to be a credible candidate to run for the presidency with the ongoing support he continues to receive from the citizenry of Ukraine; however, he continues to minimize his potential to seek public office. He further stated during an interview that political ambitions should not be discussed while martial law remains in effect and the war continues, reiterating that he has not taken any steps towards running for president.