This incident is described in his book "My War," published in December.
Random Fortune Telling
Twenty-five years ago, Zaluzhny was returning home to Novograd-Volynskyi in a sleeper train car from Odessa to Zhytomyr. He was accompanied by other cadets. One of their fellow travelers was an unusual woman: elegant, energetic, and, as it turned out, fond of card reading. She offered her companions a glimpse into the future.
"I didn't believe in such things back then and listened to her stories without much interest while she read for my friends and others who wanted to know," Zaluzhny recalls.
When it was his turn, he initially declined. However, the woman approached him and began to speak.
Moment of Truth
"She looked at me with deep black eyes. It lasted only a few seconds, but the tension was almost palpable," the general describes.
After a brief pause, the fortune teller suddenly stopped, cupped her head in her hands, and fell silent.
"I can't. I'm sorry. No!" was all she could manage to say.
Her words intrigued Zaluzhny, and he persistently asked what she had seen.
"War. A terrible war here, with us. And you will be the one in charge," the fortune teller replied.
A Prophecy That Changed a Life
These words left a deep impression on his memory, but for years they seemed just a strange episode from his youth. Everything changed in late February 2022 when the full-scale war began. At that time, this incident resurfaced in Zaluzhny's mind with new intensity.
"In those days, I already understood that we faced a long and arduous path, a struggle for survival that must end in a Ukrainian victory. Otherwise, we would face destruction," he shares.
