Nazi coup for peace?

Zelensky pushed to negotiate? Antisemitism rising... Ukrainian Julani soon.

Under fire by an ever-expanding corruption scandal, Zelensky isn’t looking too hot nowadays. But the parliamentary opposition is under strict orders from its western patrons not to rock the boat too much. In the near-term, Zelensky’s position still looks relatively unassailable. His people control law enforcement and the whips of government.

But there is a wild card — the army.

And I don’t mean the current or former heads of the army. Valery Zaluzhny, who was commander-in-chief from 2021 to early 2024, is closely connected with the liberal opposition and the western capitals funding them. Actual nationalists in the army despise him.

Take a look at this scathing review of Zaluzhny’s military ‘achievements’ from November 11, written by the influential military nationalist channel ‘Tales of the IV Reich’:

1. Zaluzhny was in charge of preparing forces and means for the full-scale invasion. The result is still impressive.

2. Zaluzhny met the Russians prepared. The results exceed themselves: Mariupol surrounded, Russian troops on the outskirts of Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, Russian troops on the outskirts of Sumy and Chernihiv, Berdyansk, Melitopol, Chongar, Nova Kakhovka, Tokmak, and Enerhodar all lost — these are all results of his “management” during the first week of the war.

3. Zaluzhny led the counteroffensive in the summer of 2023, in which hundreds of volunteers and professional soldiers were killed on the defensive prepared lines of the Russians.

To make matters worse, Zaluzhny fled military service to London in 2024. His ‘London front’ is often ridiculed by nationalists in the army.

And the current head of the army, Oleksandr Syrsky, is known for his lack of political ambitions and total loyalty to Zelensky.

There are two real alternative centers of power in the army.

The first is the Azov family, led by brigadier general Andriy Biletsky, the ‘white fuhrer’. This comprises what are generally considered the most effective units - the Third Army Corps and the First Azov Corps of the National Guard. Quite serious conflicts exist between Biletsky’s Third Corps and the First Corps, a topic I wrote about here. We won’t go into that contradiction today.

The second is what might be called the Budanov family. Kyryllo Budanov, in charge of the Main Intelligence Directorate, has at his disposal a number of fanatically devoted special forces units. A number of units in the GUR emerged from the world of Azov, such as the Russian Volunteer Corps. Kraken, until recently part of the GUR, recently migrated to the Third Corps. The neo-nazis of Azov literally sing songs praising Budanov. Azov and Budanov enjoy close relations, in other words.

Budanov

More importantly, Budanov and Biletsky at least have some streaks of independence. Biletsky, a harsh critic of Zelensky’s before 2022, is still not particularly enthusiastic about him. Budanov, brought into power in 2021 by Zelensky’s henchman Andriy Yermak, has since evolved to become one of the few remaining power centres outside of Yermak’s control. I wrote recently about signs that Budanov is becoming increasingly politically independent — he even created a massive youth paramilitary, introduced to celebrate military intelligence day in September.

Budanov’s youth paramilitary, ‘shadow’. It apparently has more than 5,000 members across Ukraine.

The extent to which Budanov and Biletsky are actually oppositional towards Zelensky and his team remains up for debate. Nevertheless, were a military alternative to Zelensky to take power, these would be the first in line. This might not involved removing Zelensky, at least at first, but merely increased control by the military over political life.

Ultimately, however, I am increasingly convinced that Biletsky is being crafted into a sort of Ukrainian version of Syria’s Julani. Both started out as violent extremists, but their western PR managers got them to put on a suit and talk a bit more suavely. That doesn’t make either Biletsky or Julani any less liable to shed blood, but it does make it easier for CNN to craft their news reel.

I am led to such a conclusion by Ukraine’s western-funded liberal media, as well as the western press itself, which has made it such a priority throughout 2025 to glaze Biletsky.

And just two days ago, another voice joined the chorus. Yaroslav Hrytsak, probably Ukraine’s most well-known historian, stated that only the army should replace Zelensky.

Hrytsak

He named Zaluzhny, Biletsky, and Budanov as the best alternatives in his interview with the Corriere Della Sera:

A scathing and deeply worrying assessment comes from historian Yaroslav Hrytsak. “ We have never been so close to the risk of national collapse . The country could implode for three main reasons: the Russians advancing on the war fronts, facilitated by the Trump presidency, which has reduced military aid and political support; the economic crisis aggravated by the bombing of the energy grid; and the moral and political crisis caused by the bribery scandal. The problem remains that we cannot hold elections under Russian bombs; we will have to wait until the war is over, but Zelensky is not helping us win it at all,” he states.

According to him, there are three national figures who could replace him: the previously appointed Zaluzhny, the head of military intelligence Kyrylo Budanov and Andry Biletsky, a right-wing nationalist politician linked to the Azov Battalion circles and who today fights on the front with the rank of brigadier general.

Zaluzhny, Biletsky, Budanov

Nationalists are happy to reciprocate with this enthusiasm for a military coup among the liberal elite.

There are certainly voices in the Azovite community openly calling for a military dictatorship. I always enjoy reading the telegram channel Tales of the IV Empire (formerly ‘of the IV Reich’), which is probably the most intellectually advanced Azovite mouthpiece online. On November 16, Tales called for corps and brigade commanders to run the state as a more effective alternative to the corrupt, incompetent officials currently in power:

And Ukraine’s militarists are certainly disgusted by the opposition to Zelensky. This is what Ukrainian Militant, a telegram run by a GUR officer, had to say about today’s scenes in Ukraine’s parliament (rada):

The posters, held by the liberal nationalist ‘opposition’ to Zelensky, say things like ‘the country is in the grip of incompetent individuals. It is time to do a drug test!’ The liberal nationalists, led by ex-president Petro Poroshenko, have always enjoyed accusing Zelensky of being a drug addict

Today, we will be taking a look at three elements visible in the recent discourse of Ukraine’s military nationalists.

First, anger at the corruption reigning in the Zelensky elite, and a marked jealousy for Russia’s more violent methods of combating corruption. Naturally, today’s nationalists place much of the blame for the situation on the fact that Zelensky and his corrupt minions are Jewish.

Second, rage at the pointless sacrifice of their comrades at the frontlines. In a serious rhetorical escalation, GUR militants are now calling Ukraine’s political leadership ‘degenerates’ and ‘criminals’ because of the suicide missions they are sent on.

Third, their view on how long the war should last. The answer on this last matter may be surprising - Ukrainian militarists despise liberals who believe the war should continue for 12-15 more years. The nationalists increasingly support a ceasefire to prevent total collapse of the army and loss of the nation. However, opinions are split. Lower level nationalists furiously criticize the leadership, accusing nationalist leaders of continuing to support a ‘Jewish war that only kills white men’.