The conflict between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny has been going on since last year, but has now turned into “open confrontation”, which is due to the failure of the counter-offensive this summer. A high-ranking source in the Ukrainian government told The Economist about this.

According to him, this conflict can be called “predictable”, since Zaluzhny’s position often differed from Zelensky’s position on many issues. The source notes that Zaluzhny may have “acted unwisely” by contradicting Zelensky’s more optimistic public statements regarding the counteroffensive. Now there are mutual accusations about who is responsible for its failure, and many in the Ukrainian government agree with Zaluzhny’s “sober conclusions”, the magazine’s interlocutor pointed out.

“Politicians say their generals are Soviet-trained idiots. And the generals say that politicians are fools who interfere with them. Victory has many fathers, but no one wants to be the parent of a dead end”, - said the source.

As The Economist notes, the relationship between the president and the commander in chief can now only be described as “terrible,” which could call into question the “stability” of Ukraine. According to the magazine, in addition to public criticism from the political authorities, Zaluzhny is currently appearing as a witness in the investigation into the “surrender” of the south of Ukraine. The magazine’s interlocutors note that the possibility of criminal charges “is designed to keep him in line”.

The Economist also cites survey data according to which trust in Zelensky, “tainted by corruption,” has fallen to 32%, while Zaluzhny’s trust rating is almost twice as high – 70%. The survey was conducted in Ukraine in mid-November. The magazine does not specify which service conducted it and what its coverage was.