“Valery Zalouzhny imprisoned for 32 days”: what happens to the former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army?

He was a serious candidate to replace Volodymyr Zelensky. But the soldier has been missing for several weeks. The mystery surrounding the fate of the former head of the Ukrainian army is fueling speculation in pro-Russian ranks. According to various publications that have appeared since April 23, Valery Zalouzhny would be “under arrest and guarded by Ukrainian intelligence for 32 days”. We sought to find out more.

Unreliable sources and no proof

In France, this rumor appeared on the afternoon of April 23 on the social network, published by an Internet user whom we identified as a relay of Russian propaganda. But before that, it was first disseminated quietly in the spheres fueling disinformation in the West. We found traces of it on Tuesday morning on the Telegram channel “International Reporters”. Behind this name, which purports to be serious, we actually find a pro-Russian blog. Accustomed to false information, it is run by the Frenchwoman Christelle Néant, who has promoted “alternative information” in Donbass since 2016, and financed by Vladimir Putin. In his message, we find exactly the wording used by Internet users as well as a call to “to spill” the Ukrainian president. However, the message does not provide any information as to the Source of this claim.

So where does it come from? We have not found any trace of this information either in legitimate media, nor on the account of the Ukrainian security service (SBU), which nevertheless does not fail to communicate about the arrests. According to our research, it was actually the Telegram channel of a certain Oleg Tsarev who first started the rumor. In a message published in the morning, the author writes that he has “information from Ukraine” on this subject. “It’s hard to say if it’s true.”admits this former Ukrainian MP in his message before observing that “Zaluzhny has not been seen in public space for a long time.”

This is therefore pure speculation, coming from a Source that cannot be trusted. Because this former Rada deputy, known in Ukraine for having been elected to a Russophile party, is a declared pro-Russian. Since 2014, he has been on the list of personalities affected by European sanctions for having proclaimed the creation of the federal state of New Russia, which included a large part of Ukrainian territory. And in the past, he has already been singled out for spreading false information about the command of the Ukrainian armed forces.

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In form, the rumor comes from less than credible sources, which provide no tangible proof. But what is it basically? As a reminder, on February 8, the very popular General Zalouzhny was dismissed from his post after spending more than two and a half years at the head of the Ukrainian army. Replaced by General Syrsky, who was already at the head of the army, he remained active on his social networks for several weeks, notably publishing a photo in fatigues with his wife, but without specifying what he was doing. his fate would become. Until Thursday March 7. In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine announced that it had nominated the former Ukrainian general for the Ukrainian embassy in the United Kingdom. Valery Zalouzhny has since remained completely inactive on his social networks, with the exception of a video of a Ukrainian officer, which he re-shared on Facebook on March 18.

kyiv denies

Since then, it has been radio silence. The former head of the armed forces has made no public appearance, neither in Ukraine nor across the Channel. In an interview given on April 19 to the Ukrainian media Canal 5, the former Minister of the Interior, Yuri Lutsenko indicated that “London had validated the appointment of Valery Zaloujny as ambassador”, without giving more details on his date of taking Office. Four days later, Mykhailo Podolyak, a close advisor to Zelensky, confirmed the information in the Ukrainian press, adding that the new ambassador would take up his post. “in the coming weeks”.

However, at present, Valery Zalouzhny has still not spoken on this subject. On social networks, he only appeared in a photo posted on April 26 by Maryna Shashkova, a Ukrainian political columnist, who did not specify the location or date of the photo. Asked by TF1info about the new ambassador taking office, the British Foreign Office refused to answer us, referring us to the Ukrainian government. At the time of writing, the latter has not responded to our requests.

However, the Ukrainian center for combating external threats denounced this Saturday a “lie” came from Russia. In May 2023, a Russian media close to the government already tried to make people believe in an arbitrary arrest of the former army chief.

Do you want to ask us questions or submit information that you do not believe is reliable? Do not hesitate to write to us at [email protected]. Find us also on X: our team is present there behind the account @verif_TF1LCI.