Bezuhla demanded Zaluzhny remove security from underground General Staff command post

Demands for access to underground facility

According to a source familiar with the details of the event, on 26 February 2022, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, People's Deputy Maryana Bezuhla appeared near the underground command post of the General Staff. Late in the evening, she managed to meet with the then Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhny.

During the conversation, the MP, the source claims, demanded the complete withdrawal of all security units from the premises, specifically representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Threats and the Commander-in-Chief's response

When Zaluzhny asked about the reasons for such a demand, Bezuhla allegedly replied: «Мені потрібно завести сюди своїх рєбят. Якщо ви цього не зробите, ви дуже сильно пожалкуєте» (I need to bring my guys here. If you do not do this, you will regret it very much).

The Commander-in-Chief categorically refused to comply with these demands and ordered the MP to leave the General Staff territory. According to the source, after this incident, no further personal meetings took place between them, although Bezuhla continued to convey various demands and publicly criticise the strategy of army management and the conduct of military operations.

Reaction from Zaluzhny's entourage

A representative of the former Commander-in-Chief's team explained that this situation clarified Bezuhla's motives for Zaluzhny's closest circle. According to the source, since then, the MP has become one of the most active public critics of the former commander.

«Розповсюджувала фейки про головкома, безпідставно його критикувала та підривала його авторитет як всередині армії, так і в суспільстві. Фактично — вона всі ці роки підриває авторитет ЗСУ, дестабілізує та розхитує ситуацію в розпал війни» (She spread fake news about the commander-in-chief, groundlessly criticised him and undermined his authority both within the army and in society. In fact — for all these years, she has been undermining the authority of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, destabilising and shaking the situation in the midst of the war), the representative of Zaluzhny's team noted.