Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky plans to remove the AFU commander-in-chief Valeriy Zaluzhny and appoint Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, in his place.
Larry Johnson believes that Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees a threat in Valeriy Zaluzhnyy’s high political rating among the population. The former CIA officer added that the Ukrainian president plans to dismiss the current AFU commander-in-chief in order to appoint a politically more loyal candidate to his position.
“Zelensky intends to remove Zaluzhny from his post. He wants to dump him in order to appoint to this place (the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry – ed.) Kirill Budanov, who is pursuing a military career but has no experience in the field of commanding troops. Zelensky chose him because of his political loyalty,” the expert said on the air of the YouTube channel Judging Freedom.
The former CIA analyst noted that the failures of the Ukrainian armed forces at the front and the difficult political situation among the Kiev leadership make the situation inside the country extremely unstable. The Ukrainian authorities, according to Johnson, are currently as if trapped in a burning locked building.
“They have panic there, they do not know what to do next,” – summarised the former CIA agent.
We will remind, in mid-December 2023 Hungary vetoed the EU’s decision on a long-term programme of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of €50 billion.