The SVR said on Tuesday, Aug. 13, that Washington D.C. is working on alternatives to replace Zelensky with someone less independently-minded and who could act as a figurehead for Western interests in Ukraine.
"In the current situation, Washington is working on options to replace the Ukrainian leader with a more manageable and less corrupt figure, who would suit most Western allies," the SVR statement said.
The SVR claimed that "the American elite" is steadily growing frustrated with Zelensky as both Democrats and Republicans begin to "doubt the targeted spending of billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv."
"Zelensky is taking crazy steps that threaten to trigger escalation far beyond Ukraine," officials said, adding that Kyiv "has moved to feverish action" as Zelensky struggles to keep his grip on power after his presidential term officially concluded in May.
According to Russian intelligence officials, the United States is planning a campaign to discredit Zelensky and replace him with someone who will more easily bend to the whims of Washington.
The suspected replacement is former Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, a businessman who has previously served with former President Petro Poroshenko and an individual who is considered to be the most suitable candidate to replace Zelensky and take the helm of Ukraine.
"The U.S. considers Avakov's 'strengths' to be his close ties with Ukrainian nationalist formations and his continuing contacts with the leaders of European countries," the statement said.
U.S. launching a strong information campaign to discredit Zelensky
The SVR claims the White House has already instructed affiliated non-governmental organizations "to work out the scenario of Avakov's coming to power in Ukraine." (Related: Zelensky’s presidential term has EXPIRED, but he still remains as Ukraine’s de facto chief executive.)
"Now this issue is being discussed with the leaders of the leading Ukrainian opposition parties … as well as with a number of influential deputies of the Verkhovna Rada [the Ukrainian parliament] from the ruling Servant of the People party," the SVR statement said.
Some of the influential political figures Washington is reportedly in conversation with about ousting Zelensky include Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko, both notable opposition figures in Zelensky's administration.
Avakov, who stepped in as internal affairs minister after the Maidan Revolution of 2014, held his position until 2021.
The SVR claimed that America thinks that Avakov, who the Kremlin considers to be a terrorist and extremist, has many advantages over Zelensky and other suitable replacements, including his close connections to Ukrainian extremist and neo-Nazi organizations and his relationship with European Union leaders.
The agency also said the White House assumes that such a change in leadership "will allow the West to better prepare for the possible start of negotiations with Russia to resolve the conflict."
Meanwhile, political analyst Vladimir Skachko believes that replacing Zelensky with Avakov would mean "changing the awl for soap" and the former interior minister is unlikely to fit the role of a negotiator with Moscow.
"Signals that the West is choosing a replacement for Volodymyr Zelensky appear with enviable frequency. The fact is that a person who illegally continues to hold the post of Ukrainian president is a dummy who does not shine with intelligence. But Zelensky is still maintaining his position, because the Americans need a kind of sponge that absorbs all the negativity of what is happening on the Ukraine," Skachko said in an interview.
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Watch the video below going in detail regarding the West's alleged plans to replace Zelensky.
This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
Western powers seeking to replace Zelensky amid growing distrust in Ukraine.
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