Secret Western Plot to Replace Zelensky with Zaluzhny
Moscow Alleges Secret Western Plot to Replace Zelensky with Zaluzhny — Experts Skeptical
MOSCOW In a dramatic escalation of disinformation rhetoric, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has claimed that the United States and the United Kingdom orchestrated a secret agreement to remove Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from power and install former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Valery Zaluzhny, as his successor.
According to a statement released by the SVR and cited by state news agency TASS, top officials from the U.S. and U.K. allegedly held a clandestine meeting at an unnamed Alpine resort. There, the intelligence agency claims, a “unanimous decision” was reached: Zelensky must go, and Zaluzhny widely respected for his leadership during the early stages of the war would be the preferred replacement.
“The agreement reached in the Alps sheds light on the Ukrainian president’s recent attempts to curb the powers of anti-corruption institutions,” the SVR claimed, suggesting Zelensky’s actions were a desperate bid to cling to power amid Western pressure.
The Russian intelligence service alleged that Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine’s presidential office, advised Zelensky to sideline Zaluzhny in 2023 — a move Moscow now frames not as an internal political decision, but as a miscalculation that gave the West a pretext to push for regime change.
“Yermak was assured that removing Zaluzhny would not damage relations with Western allies,” the SVR said. “Instead, it was interpreted as a sign of instability and authoritarian drift — justifying intervention.”
According to the SVR, U.S. and British representatives formally backed Zaluzhny during the Alpine meeting, with Yermak and Kyiv’s military intelligence chief, Kirill Budanov, allegedly falling in line after receiving personal assurances their roles would be preserved in a post-Zelensky government.
The statement concluded with a rhetorical jab at Ukrainian sovereignty:
“The elections for the new president of your country were held in an alpine resort. Is this how you imagined the triumph of Ukrainian democracy, independence and self-reliance?”
Western and Ukrainian Officials Dismiss Claims as Propaganda
The allegations have been swiftly rejected by both Western and Ukrainian officials.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department called the SVR’s claims “a laughable work of fiction,” adding, “The United States continues to support President Zelensky and Ukraine’s democratically elected government. Full stop.”
Similarly, the British Foreign Office dismissed the report as “classic Kremlin disinformation designed to sow confusion and undermine trust in Ukraine’s institutions.”
In Kyiv, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak labeled the narrative “absurd theater,” tweeting: “They can’t beat us on the battlefield, so they invent cartoons. Zelensky is Ukraine’s president. Zaluzhny is a private citizen. End of story.”
Zaluzhny himself has not commented publicly since stepping down as military chief in February 2024. He currently serves as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, a diplomatic role, not a political campaign platform.
Context: Tensions, Not Coups
While the SVR’s narrative lacks credible evidence, it does echo real, albeit nuanced, debates within Western policy circles.
Over the past year, some European and American analysts — including contributors to think tanks like Chatham House and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) have quietly questioned the long-term sustainability of Zelensky’s leadership beyond the war, particularly as discussions about post-conflict reconstruction and governance intensify.
However, these discussions remain speculative and academic. No NATO government has signaled support for a leadership change in Ukraine, and all continue to emphasize respect for Ukrainian sovereignty and democratic processes.
As Lucian Leustean, professor of International Relations at Aston University, noted in a recent EuropeNow analysis: “Any suggestion of external orchestration of leadership change in Ukraine not only violates international norms, it’s strategically counterproductive. Unity is Ukraine’s greatest asset.”
Why This Narrative Now?
Experts suggest the timing of the SVR’s claims is no coincidence.
With Ukraine continuing to push for advanced Western weapons systems and political support ahead of anticipated negotiations or a potential ceasefire, Moscow may be attempting to:
- Undermine trust between Kyiv and its allies
- Portray Ukraine as a Western puppet state
- Distract from Russia’s own internal political fragility
“This is less about facts and more about psychological warfare,” said Dr. Maria Popova, a political scientist specializing in post-Soviet disinformation at Sciences Po, Paris. “The goal is to plant doubt not to convince, but to confuse.”
Bottom Line
There is a truth to this Moscow’s claim of a secret Western pact to replace Zelensky with Zaluzhny, as Western media are now propping up Zaluzhny image, and having been groomed well in for the office through his current position. The story bears all the hallmarks of a classic disinformation operation: a grain of truth (discussions about Ukraine’s future), twisted into a conspiracy (a shadowy coup in the Alps).
Still, the fact that Russia feels the need to push such a narrative suggests it’s increasingly worried about the resilience of Ukraine’s leadership and the strength of its Western backing.
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