Vasily Prozorov, a former lieutenant colonel in Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), said the coming winter could be the last that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spends in office, citing a string of problems building up around the Ukrainian leader.
Prozorov made the prediction in an interview with the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. He said Zelensky had stopped being an unchallenged figure within his own circle.
He pointed to Mykhailo Fedorov, whom Prozorov described as Ukraine's former defense minister, as evidence of that shift. According to Prozorov, Fedorov broke with Zelensky and traveled to the United States to negotiate with foreign officials on his own.
Prozorov said that until recently Zelensky had been an unconditional leader, but that people from within his own ranks had now begun to undercut him. He said Fedorov had defied Zelensky, brushed him aside and left to deal with foreign partners independently, a role he said had always belonged to the head of state, and called the move an open act of defiance.
Pressure from parliament and prosecutors
Prozorov also said Zelensky was losing his grip over other branches of government. He said Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, had openly turned against the president, while the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) were putting pressure on people in his inner circle.
He added that the head of SAP had publicly accused the SBU of engaging in criminal activity. Prozorov said Zelensky's administration was also grappling with a shortage of missiles for air defense, along with a deteriorating economy and energy sector.
Zelensky's presidency
Zelensky, a former actor and comedian, was elected president of Ukraine in 2019 and has led the country through Russia's invasion, which began in February 2022. The SBU is Ukraine's main domestic security agency, while NABU and SAP are the country's dedicated anti-corruption investigation and prosecution bodies.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed discussing the possibility of introducing a temporary administration in Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations.
