“Am I ready to die? Am I ready to kill? Am I willing to send people to die or kill?”.
These three questions General Valery Zaluzhny (49) asked himself when Russia attacked Ukraine, he says in an exclusive interview with The Washington Post.
In 2021, he was appointed as the chief of defense of the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine’s major offensive: This is the man behind it
Despite the fact that he has had a relatively low profile during the war, in the last year he has gained folk hero status among the population.
Now he faces a war with a Russian force that is larger and better equipped than his own. Again he must ask himself the question:
“How can I reduce the loss of life?”
Retired lieutenant general Arne Bård Dalhaug compares the situation in Bakhmut with the situation in Mariupol at the start of the war in Ukraine. Video: Dagbladet TV / Telegram / Twitter / AP Show more
Every morning starts the same as the last, he says in the interview. He needs to know how many soldiers were killed or wounded by his orders the day before.
– Must save my people
This is how Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg envisions the war in Ukraine ending. Video: AP. view more
He saves the grief for later, he tells the newspaper. The popular general believes mourning now will distract him from his important work. Not only do Ukrainians trust him to keep them safe, Western partners also rely on him with billions in security aid.
But if it was up to him alone, that’s not how he would get the job done. He wanted to fight with air superiority, he says to the Washington Post.
He would fire back at least as many shells as the Russians fire at his troops. And he wanted cruise missiles to match Moscow’s.
– Can trigger an acute crisis
– Why do I have to ask someone for permission to do what I want to do in enemy territory? I am going to save my people!, he stated in the rare interview.
The worries and responsibility weigh him down, he tells the newspaper.
– I have to live with this. Every day someone is killed. Who will always be missed. There are tears.
When the war in Ukraine started, a film team at SVT began a major survey of Russia’s intelligence activities in the Nordic region. Video: Morten Krüger/DR Show more
Plans to reclaim Crimea
Zaluzhny says he wants to reclaim Crimea, the peninsula Russia illegally annexed in 2014. Although some Western officials worry about what Putin’s response would be if Ukrainian troops ever reached the territory.
– As soon as I have funds, I will do something. I don’t care – no one can stop me, he told the newspaper.
Claims they stopped assassination attempts
Decisive choice
He is described as an ambitious and modern leader, while being unpretentious and joking with his subordinates, writes the BBC. They have spoken to several people who know Zaluzhny.
The newspaper writes that Zaluzjnyj made several crucial choices at the start of Russia’s invasion, as Russian forces advanced towards Kyiv.
Among other things, when a proposal appeared to blow up bridges leading into the capital, to prevent the Russians from crossing the Dnipro river.
“Under no circumstances will we do that,” the defense chief is said to have said, according to the media house.
During the first days of the invasion, Zaluzhnyi is also said to have had continuous contact with the soldiers at the front line. He hardly slept, says a former aide.
– He often spoke on the phone with his generals, but always kept his composure and focus, she says to the BBC.
2023-07-16 00:35:07
#save #people
