The confrontation between Kirponos and Zhukov led Zhukov to tell the Southwestern Front political officer, Nikita Khrushchev, "I am afraid your commander (Kirponos) here is pretty weak", a charge that Kirponos would never be able to answer, since he died in the battle of Kiev after it was surrounded.
Sammenstødet mellem Kirponos og Zjukov var uden tvivl det, som førte Zjukov til at sige til den sydvestlige fronts politiske officer Nikita Khrusjtjov: "Jeg er bange for, at Deres frontchef (Kirponos) her er temmelig svag", en anklage, som Kirponos aldrig skulle blive i stand til at imødegå, da han døde i slaget om Kiev efter at byen var blevet omringet.