Zelensky believes Russia works on Operation Maidan-3 to topple him

A coup may occur in Ukraine to remove the sitting head of state from power, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a meeting with representatives of foreign press.

The Ukrainian leader believes that Russia has such plans. According to him, Moscow is seeking to split the Ukrainian society, create chaos within the country and ultimately remove its president.

According to Zelensky, Russia intends to conduct Maidan-3 Operation in Ukraine for the purpose. In his opinion, the name could be a reference to Maidan riots in the central square of Kyiv in 2004 and 2014.

"We receive such information from our intelligence, as well as from our partners," Volodymyr Zelensky said.

For Moscow, 'Maidan' equals riots, a coup, which makes it all goals of the upcoming event clear.

Former CIA member Larry Johnson believes that Zelensky's actions may already be pushing for a military coup in Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader already started to dismiss generals and high-ranking military personnel, Johnson noted.

Stephen Bryen, former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, believes that Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, could allegedly be capable of leading a conspiracy against Zelensky.

Zelensky is already at war with his generals, whereas military leaders are ready to remove Zelensky in order to make peace with Russia.

Officially, Zelensky's office is trying to build the image of consolidation between the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the political leadership.

In turn, the military openly supported the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army and spread rumours about the candidacy of Valery Zaluzhny in the presidential election. Major General Dmitry Marchenko, the former commander of the defence of Nikolaev (Mykolaiv), voiced such an opinion in public.

• Ukraine's Orange Revolution on Maidan Square in Kyiv lasted from November 22, 2004 to January 23, 2005. The riots sparked following the outcome of the second round of the presidential elections in Ukraine, when Viktor Yanukovych was announced the winner. Yanukovych was forced to give up his post to rival Viktor Yushchenko.
• In November 2013, Euromaidan sparked in the center of the Ukrainian capital. It became a response to Yanukovych's decision to suspend preparations for the signing of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union.
• As a result of three-month protests, the country's government changed, Petro Poroshenko won early elections, whereas Donetsk and Luhansk regions declared their independence on Ukraine. This led to the start of a full-scale military operation. Afterwards, a referendum was held in Crimea on the annexation of the peninsula to Russia.