Boxing with Zelensky

A fight is brewing as three major figures go public in their disagreement with Ukraine's president - Valery Zaluzhny, Vitali Klitschko, and Petro Poroshenko.

Zelensky has long claimed the impossible regarding the war with Russia. From boasting about Ukrainian battleground successes to the aim of returning Crimea, his words have rung hollow yet been endlessly repeated by Western media.

Repeated for the convenience of U.S. profiteering but nothing is convenient forever. The U.S. bombs and leaves, and it abandons its proxies - that’s the American way.

The politics of failure in Ukraine now outweighs the business of killing, and the U.S. has Israel as its offramp excuse. Americans were recently made to care about Ukraine, a country they couldn’t find on a map, but Israel has been moulded into its religious identity for the past seven decades.

The willingness to be manipulated is also the American way. It’s how it maintains its belief that it’s the best. Under that shadow, the next race to become the leader of Ukraine is on.

#1 THE CHIEF OF THE MILITARY

The latest adjustment to that cognitive dissonance most notably began last month when The Economist interviewed Valery Zaluzhny, the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

He stated that Russia couldn’t be bled into submission and that Crimea wouldn’t be reached, indirectly admitting that the hyped counteroffensive was a failure.

Zaluzhny began being touted as the next leader of Ukraine, and Zelensky cancelled elections.

#2 THE CHIEF OF THE CAPITAL

Now Vitali Klitschko, the Mayor of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, has been interviewed by 20 Minuten, a Swiss publication.

Klitschko is not only a former world heavyweight boxing champion with an 87% knockout rate, but is well known by the West and has influence on Ukrainian national politics.

He said that Zaluzhny had been unfairly criticised, agreed that the war was a stalemate, and said that they have to honest to their people and partners (meaning, most of all, the U.S.A.).

Klitschko isn’t a boxing stereotype. He was loved as a sportsman in Germany, became well known in Europe when Russia reached the outskirts of Kyiv, has a doctorate in science, and speaks Ukrainian, Russian, English and German. He’s the full political package, a possible EU wet dream.

Klitschko said:

“Today the only question is whether Ukraine continues to exist at all. Putin does not accept Ukraine as an independent country, that is no secret. He says Ukraine is part of the Russian Empire. We fight for our freedom and independence. At the same time, there is already trench warfare among our politicians - in a country that is shaky in its existence. This is simply stupid. So talking about my political ambitions now wouldn't be wise.”

#3 EX-CHIEF AND CHIEF-IN-WAITING

Mayor Klitschko had intended to run for President in 2014, but instead supported Petro Poroshenko (who won and led until Zelensky took over in 2019).

Gas oligarch Dmytro Firtash claimed to have financed both Klitschko and Poroshenko. He was supposed to dish up dirt on the Bidens to Trump’s associates, was indicted on various crimes by the Biden administration, but had his extradition blocked by Austria.

Poroshenko remains the main election contender. Zelensky had a 21 point lead over him in opinion polls in 2021, but that has dropped to only 2. It’s politically natural that Poroshenko is the third significant Zelensky dissenter.

Zelensky is rapidly losing the emotional approval that war time president’s receive. Sub-consciously, Ukrainians know they cannot win.

On Saturday, as further sign of Zelensky’s increasing dictatorship, Poroshenko, who had a permit, was barred from leaving the country to meet with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, and the Polish parliament. The Ukrainian Secret service claimed he was going to see Hungary’s Presdient, Viktor Orban.

Poroshenko said:

"This is an anti-Ukrainian diversion. It is not just the hampering of my entire team's diplomatic work, but unfortunately a blow to Ukraine's defense capabilities."

WINDS OF NARRATIVE CHANGE

The Kyiv Post has reported on both opposition interviews. This is remarkable because it has been a primary propaganda outlet.

Being a newspaper in a country at war is obviously difficult, especially when Zelensky undemocratically closed opposition Media, but the Post has an interesting history.

It was founded by an American when the Soviet Union fell,and has had editorial links to expats in Europe and the USA. Through three ownerships, its been pro-Western, occasionally obvious in supporting politicians doing the same.

Now, it’s either supporting the Western narrative of Zelensky weakness or it’s in the challenging position of having to hedge itself between two factions vying for power. But the takeaway is that a different narrative has begun, and its accessible to Ukrainians.