The Ukrainian general cried only once during the war

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Four-star general Valeri Saluschni (49) is the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army and probably the most important man of President Volodymyr Zelensky since the beginning of the war.

Now he has given journalist Dmitro Komarov one of his rare interviews and gives an unusual personal insight into his inner life.

He is asked by Komarov how he deals with death, who is a constant companion in war. How he copes with constantly receiving news of fallen soldiers, even from those he knows personally.

“I don’t have the strength for it yet”

Saluschni says: “I am a person like everyone else, my heart reacts just like a normal person’s.” But the fact that he does not show this to the outside world with emotions does not mean that he does not feel the same way.

His contacts in his phone are full of names of fallen friends, but he can’t delete them yet. “I don’t have the strength to do it yet.”

As commander-in-chief, he really shouldn’t show weakness – but he admits, “I only cried once during the war.” Saluschni had been in contact with a mother who was looking for her son, a helicopter pilot on duty in Mariupol.

Before the mission, he sent her a message that he was a patriot. “When I wrote with her, I still had hope that he was alive.” But then news reached him that the soldier had died. He didn’t have the strength to tell her that her son had died – he was showing emotions.Zalushni continues that for him the war did not start on February 24, 2022, but in 2014, when Crimea was annexed by Russia. Call from a “not very nice” person

February 24 itself is remembered for two moments. “I called all the commanders responsible for certain areas. Those calls were very short.”

The second moment was a morning call from abroad from a person who was “not very nice”. However, the general does not want to give information about who it was – he will tell after the war.

“After that, the daily life of a commander began – with nervousness and sleepless nights.” Zalushni still believes Ukraine will win. But that won’t be easy. “It’s a long and hard road to get there.”

Source: Blick