The recent row that erupted between President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Commander-in- hief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny, could lead to the Ukraine’s military refusing to fight any further in NATO’s proxy war against Russia, speculated US journalist Garland Nixon on his YouTube channel.
“First they start fighting against each other, then Zaluzhny’s aide dies in a blast,” recalled the journalist, adding, “What are the troops going to think?"
"If they are on the front line," Garland Nixon said, and there is "internal fighting" on an increasingly violent scale within the regime itself, at some point the Ukrainian troops being used as “cannon fodder” may rebel. Nixon emphasized that in such a situation the Ukrainian military would have no reason to continue fighting on the battlefront, where their counteroffensive has abysmally failed. “Once the politics collapse,” there may be left “only pockets of resistance,” he argued.
"The Ukrainian project is collapsing, both militarily and politically," and the question is “which one comes first,” emphasized the pundit. An open war of violence has started within the Kiev regime, Garland speculated, suggesting that the death of Gennady Chastyakov, assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian troops, was “the opening shot”.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs ruled out an "assassination attempt" or a "Russian trace," insisting that Chastyakov himself pulled at the ring of a grenade, given to him as a present. However, Valery Zaluzhny noted in his Telegram statement that an "unidentified explosive device went off in one of the gifts" presented to his assistant. Furthermore, the wife of the deceased was referred to by the Ukrainian press as saying that the explosion occurred when Chastyakov opened a gift bag with a bottle of alcohol and glasses in the shape of grenades.
Kiev needs to take a massive technological leap to break the current stalemate in its counteroffensive against Russian troops, the Ukrainian Army’s Commander-in-Chief General Valery Zaluzhny admitted in an interview with the UK's Economist magazine earlier, adding:
“There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough.”
The general also acknowledged that “NATO’s textbooks” and “the math” that Kiev did to plan the counteroffensive had failed to prevent Russian forces from effectively stopping Ukrainian troops in their tracks.
Zaluzhny's “stalemate” comment triggered a swift rebuke. It was slammed as inappropriate by Zelensky aide Ihor Zhovkva. As the Ukrainian president, he also challenged Zaluzhny’s dismal assessment of the situation at the battle front.
“Time has passed, people are tired, regardless of their status, and this is understandable. But this is not a stalemate, I emphasize this once again,” Zelensky said in a joint press conference with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. Zelensky also proceeded to offer assurances that the F-16 fighters the West has promised to provide to Kiev could turn the situation around.
Besides Zelensky’s remarks, there was also administrative action potentially aimed at Zaluzhny. Ukraine's president issued a decree firing Special Operations Forces commander Viktor Khorenko, with Ukrainian media speculating that the decree was drummed up on the advice of recently picked Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, but not approved by Zaluzhny.
“We are waiting new results,” Zelensky said, in reference to Khorenko’s replacement. It should be added that the ousted commander refused to offer comments on rumors about a possible conflict brewing between the Ukraine government and the military.