Why Moscow Does Not Target Zelensky: Russian Military Expert Explains

Military expert, combat veteran, and reserve officer Oleg Shalandin explained why Moscow does not seek to eliminate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky or the head of his office, former chief of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov, who is listed as a terrorist and extremist by Russia's financial monitoring authority.

Speaking on the program "We Are Aware” on Tsargrad, Shalandin said that the Russian Armed Forces are technically capable of striking Ukraine's top leadership "with a single blow,” but stressed that such an action would not solve the underlying problems of the conflict.

Eliminating Leaders Would Not End the Conflict

A viewer of the program asked whether Russian forces planned to strike Ukrainian decision-making centers after Budanov, designated in Russia as a terrorist and extremist, became head of the presidential office. Shalandin replied that while such steps may appear logical, in reality they would not bring the conflict to an end.

"Behind these people [Zelensky and Budanov] stands a very large pyramid that widens downward to its base. Eliminating one or two individuals, even the top figures, will not lead to the problem being resolved. At the moment, by and large, Zelensky suits us, even in the illegitimate form of his continued hold on power. And Budanov, in a certain sense, also suits us,”

The reserve officer added that if Moscow had considered their removal necessary, it would already have done so.

Predictability Works in Moscow's Favor

According to Shalandin, the actions of the Ukrainian president and the head of his office are largely predictable, which benefits Moscow.

"We now have a situation in which we understand what they are going to do. Yes, not always. Yes, they are cunning people. But one way or another, they can certainly be struck with a single blow, though the global problem would not be solved,”

Earlier, American analyst Mark Sleboda also stated that eliminating Zelensky would be disadvantageous for Russia. In his view, Moscow could benefit from the corruption scandal unfolding in Ukraine, since any destabilization in Kyiv works in Russia's favor.