By Simplicius, Substack, 11/13/24

Just a day after we wrote about the ‘rumored’ new plan for the US to hold Ukrainian elections next year to give intransigent Zelensky the boot, The Economist made it semi-official by acknowledging that, ‘suddenly’, Zelensky is facing a ‘power struggle’ at home:

https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/11/12/volodymyr-zelensky-faces-a-power-struggle-in-2025

It’s in line with how Biden’s advanced dementia was just “abruptly” discovered by figures and organs of the establishment, only after becoming convenient and politically expedient enough for them to make it public. Similarly here, as soon as the memo-from-above’s arrival, The Economist sprang into pre-conditioning the ground to sell the narrative that Zelensky’s regime is now on uncertain footing; they would have never been allowed to even suggest that Zelensky faced danger at home until it became necessary to do so.

The article opens up with the admission that funeral ceremonies for soldiers in Kiev have “become more frequent” after the recent ramp-up of Russia’s offensives, a testament to the AFU’s own mounting death toll at a time when they’re desperately trying to sell the opposing claim about ‘astronomical Russian casualties’.

“For now, there are two dates on Kyiv politicos’ lips: January 20th 2025, the date of Mr Trump’s inauguration, the first moment for any possible ceasefire and lifting of military law, and May 25th, the earliest mooted date for an election.”

An election during pinnacle of wartime seems unthinkable, they write, but:

“Still, some groundwork appears to have begun. Regional election headquarters are mobilising, and work on candidate lists is beginning. The representatives of one likely presidential rival to Volodymyr Zelensky say that Ukraine needs elections; but they worry about making a public statement to this effect, fearing a fierce backlash from the presidential office.”

Then, of course, comes the obligatory backstab:

Not only did Economist now roll out some “internal polling” that seemingly didn’t exist before, but the big kicker is the predictable insertion of Zaluzhny as new heir to the throne. That’s not to mention the suggestive lay out of their preferred outcome:

“But a former colleague of the president says his best move might be to step aside regardless, and keep to his original promise only to serve one term. ‘Zelensky has only one way out to get out with an intact reputation,’ this source says. ‘That is to run elections [without him] and go down in history as the man who united the nation in war.’ The alternative is to risk being associated with a military collapse or an incomplete peace.”

Ah, so a ‘dignified bow out’ just like the same establishment forces asked of Zelensky’s fateful partner-in-crime Joe Biden. Remember, it’s either the “easy way” or the “hard way”, as Pelosi said; the same stands for Zelensky. Take your free trip to Tel Aviv or we can begin raising the level of ‘encouragement’. After all, recall Zaluzhny was directed to step down from his role as general for a long time, and it was only after his direct subordinates began to be assassinated did he heed the warning and do as he was told.

The other excerpt from the article which went viral today was the following:

“The army is censoring the most negative news to avoid fanning flames back home, he says. A senior military official agrees. Even Mr Zelensky is being shielded from the truth. ‘It’s not even that he’s being kept in a warm bath,’ the source says, using a local idiom to suggest the president was being cocooned by his top officials. ‘He’s being kept in a sauna.’”

Well, now, would you look at that? So maybe when Zelensky spouts off those ridiculous numbers about Russian losses, he’s not exactly the most trustworthy source? As preposterous as it may sound, given the above, it may even be the case that Zelensky actually believes the figures that only 30,000 or so AFU troops have died. He could very well think he’s winning the war based on his info-cocoon; scary thought.

The article ends with an interesting affirmation that Russia intends to capture the capital of Zaporozhye province, i.e. Zaporozhye city itself:

“In Kurakhove, Russian forces are outnumbering Ukrainian forces by at least six to one, and a Ukrainian retreat seems inevitable soon. Ukraine is on the back foot in the Kursk region it in turn occupies, where Russia is trying to push its soldiers out with the assistance of thousands of North Korean troops. Fighting is also beginning in Zaporizhia province for what Ukrainian intelligence believes will be an assault on the provincial capital, an important industrial hub.”

If that is indeed one of the main targets of the new coming offensive, it would seem to sketch a potential Putin plan for ending the war: one can theorize that Putin could “make it easy” on Zelensky, or whoever’s in power at the time, by taking the decision to give up Zaporozhye out of their hands. If Russian forces can capture Zaporozhye city and most of the province itself, then that would already be a major point of Russia’s negotiations demands accomplished. Given that Zaporozhye is much bigger and more consequential than Kherson, it represents a much bigger roadblock to Ukraine acceding to Russia’s terms….