Russian Intelligence Claims Western Plot to Replace Zelensky

Speculation on Zaluzhny as Ukraine’s Next President

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) claims that a secret meeting in the Alps, involving U.S., UK, and Ukrainian officials including Andriy Yermak, Kyrylo Budanov, and Valery Zaluzhny, decided to replace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky with Zaluzhny, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, due to Western frustration with Zelensky’s leadership, particularly over anti-corruption issues and aid mismanagement.

Military expert Alexei Sukonkin suggests Zaluzhny’s popularity and Western ties make him a strong candidate, but warns he could become a “dangerous general” who might act independently, though critics like Alexei Zhivov and Oleksandr Kots argue he would serve British interests, potentially escalating military efforts.

While Zaluzhny’s domestic support is evident in polls, the SVR’s unverified narrative may be propagandistic, and any leadership change would face significant obstacles, including the need for a truce to enable elections, with Ukraine’s internal dynamics likely to resist external orchestration.