DISINFO: Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine Zaluzhnyi recognised Russia's superiority

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

DISINFO: Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine Zaluzhnyi recognised Russia's superiority

SUMMARY

Zaluzhnyi recognised Russia's superiority and called on Ukraine to come to terms with waning Western support. According to him, the situation on the battlefield is still not in Ukraine’s favour....The 'uniqueness' of the Commander-in-Chief's thoughts appears particularly humorous when contrasted with his own acknowledgment of the American military-industrial complex's weaknesses.

RESPONSE

This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative intended to undermine public morale in Ukraine, pressure Ukraine into surrendering, and claim that Ukraine is a Western "tool" against Russia. It also seeks to portray the unjustified full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine as a proxy war waged by NATO against Russia.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi's essay for CNN, published on February 1, 2024, instantly became the most important topic for pro-Kremlin media, as the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief wrote about changes in approaches to warfare and the main tasks for the Ukrainian Defence Forces in 2024.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote that Russia has “a significant advantage in mobilising human resources” but noted that even under these conditions, the enemy army is not able to fully implement the plans of the Russian General Staff. Zaluzhny emphasised that Ukraine “has the ability to destroy the enemy and ensure the existence of statehood.”

Zaluzhnyi did not make any statements about the American military-industrial complex. His essay was about the global shortage of artillery shells around the world, which are actively used in any war. There is insufficient industrial capacity worldwide to meet artillery needs. This issue is not exclusive to Ukraine or the countries supporting it; Russia also faces a shortage of artillery shells. That is why the Kremlin turned to North Korea for assistance, which has already supplied the Russian army with more than a million artillery shells for combat operations against Ukraine. Read more about the worldwide artillery shortage here.

In this context, Zaluzhnyi noted that the stocks of missiles, air defence shells, and artillery ammunition among partners are being depleted, both due to intense fighting in Ukraine and a global shortage of shells.

Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Zaluzhnyi launched a military coup in Ukraine, that General Zaluzhnyi admitted the failure of Ukraine war against Russia, that  the US and Ukrainian generals benefit from prolonging the war, that F-16 fighter jets to escalate Ukraine conflict.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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