Some lawmakers from the Servant of the People party demanded to expel MP Mariana Bezuhla from the parliamentary faction after she called for the dismissal of Ukraine's chief commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Suspilne reported on Nov. 27, citing its sources.
"Most lawmakers are outraged by Bezuhla's behavior and propose excluding her. However, it is not guaranteed to be put to a vote," an MP from President Volodymyr Zelensky's party told Suspilne.
A day before, Bezuhla, a deputy head of the parliament's national security committee, claimed that Zaluzhnyi had not provided a plan for Ukraine's armed forces for next year.
"If the military leadership can't provide any plan for 2024, and if all their proposals for mobilization boil down to needing more people without any proposal for changes in the military system, then this leadership should step down," Bezuhla said.
The committee's secretary, Roman Kostenko, told Suspilne that there had been no demand for Zaluzhnyi to submit such a plan.
Dinara Khalilova
Asked whether Bezuhla’s stance was in line with the Servant of the People party's position, its spokeswoman Yulia Paliychuk told Ukrainska Pravda that Bezuhla "is responsible for her own words."
Bezuhla's statement comes amid speculation in Western and Ukrainian media about alleged disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi.
Kyiv-born Bezuhla, 35, has a controversial reputation among the Ukrainian public and is known for her scandalous statements.
Last year, she reportedly co-authored a draft law that would have allowed the Ukrainian military to kill soldiers deserting their service or failing to comply with command orders.
The bill sparked outrage among Ukrainians and was withdrawn from consideration shortly after being registered in the parliament.
Martin Fornusek
(Updated: )
