Former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current Ambassador of Ukraine to Britain Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that he does not recognize any ideas of holding elections during the war. This is how he reacted to media reports about his alleged preparations for the elections.
"Anyone who receives an offer from someone with my name to join any processes through any organization should report it to law enforcement agencies. I do not create any headquarters or parties and, in principle, have no ties to any political force," he noted.
Zaluzhnyi added that his position remains unchanged: while the war continues, elections in Ukraine to its state bodies are impossible.
"The enemy, having not won a victory on the front, like 100 years ago, is already using modern opportunities, such as anonymous sources, bots and media, dispersing our society and preparing us for elections, but in the State Duma of the country that is killing us. And by the way, they will be announced for the last time by anonymous sources. Then it will be true," the former head of the military council emphasized.
Various media outlets have repeatedly reported on Zaluzhnyiʼs alleged preparations for the elections. The last time this happened was on October 8, when the French portal Intelligence Online, citing sources, wrote that some high-ranking officials close to Zaluzhnyi had been offered places on his "parliamentary list," despite the fact that he himself had not yet decided to run for president.
- Zaluzhnyi was the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2021 to 2024. In February 2024, he was dismissed from his post, and Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed the new Commander-in-Chief.
- In March of the same year, President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the candidacy of Valerii Zaluzhnyi for the position of Ukraineʼs Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He officially began his duties as ambassador on July 11.
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