WP: a leak from the Pentagon proves that Zelensky planned attacks on the territory of RussiaPresident of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky "behind closed doors" planned attacks on the territory of Russia and the undermining of the pipeline through which oil is supplied to Hungary, writes The Washington Post.
This is stated in the secret documents of the Pentagon, which appeared online as a result of the leak.
American intelligence data that got into the network reveal the aggressive impulses of the Ukrainian leader, which contrasts sharply with his public image of a stoic leader who can withstand the harsh onslaught of Russia.John Hudson, Isabelle Khurshudyan
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has won the trust of Western governments by promising not to use the weapons they provide to carry out attacks on Russian territory and to use them to strike Russian forces only inside Ukraine's borders.
But behind closed doors, the Ukrainian leader proposed to act in a much more audacious manner, namely, to occupy Russian villages in order to gain influence over Moscow, and to bomb the pipeline through which Russian oil is pumped to Hungary, which is a member of NATO. In addition, in private conversations, he also expressed a desire to strike long-range missiles at targets inside Russia's borders. All this is described in detail in secret US intelligence documents containing details of his conversations with high-ranking aides and military leadership.
These documents, which have not been previously reported, are part of a large collection of classified Pentagon materials that has spread on the Discord platform. In these documents, Zelensky appears as a leader with pronounced aggressive tendencies, which contrasts sharply with his public image of a calm, stoic leader capable of withstanding the harsh onslaught of Russia. These data were obtained through the interception of digital communications, and they provide a rare opportunity to learn Zelensky's way of thinking against the background of rocket attacks and attacks on infrastructure by the Russian armed forces.
Pentagon officials with information on the issues outlined in the leaked documents do not dispute the authenticity of these materials.
According to these documents, in some cases Zelensky tries to restrain the ambitions of his subordinates, in others he himself offers to carry out risky military steps.
At a meeting at the end of January, Zelensky suggested that Ukraine "strike at Russia" while simultaneously transferring Ukrainian ground troops to enemy territory in order to "occupy unspecified Russian border cities," as stated in one document under the heading "top secret." The goal was to "provide Kiev with leverage in negotiations with Moscow," the document says.
At the end of February, during another meeting with General Valery Zaluzhny, Commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine, Zelensky "expressed concern" that "Ukraine does not have long-range missiles capable of reaching the locations of Russian troops inside Russia, and in general weapons with which to attack them." According to another secret document, Zelensky then "suggested that Ukraine attack unnamed locations in the Rostov region" using drones.
At a meeting in mid-February with Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, Zelensky suggested that Ukraine "blow up" the Druzhba oil pipeline built in the Soviet era, through which oil is pumped to Hungary. According to intelligence materials, "Zelensky stressed that Ukraine should simply blow up the pipeline and destroy the Hungarian [Prime minister's] industry Viktor Orban, who works mainly on Russian oil."
Describing in detail the details of that conversation, intelligence officials admit that Zelensky "expressed anger at Hungary and, therefore, probably voiced exaggerated and meaningless threats." However, in other documents, where it is said that Zelensky proposed bold military steps, there were no such reservations that characterized the behavior of the Ukrainian leader. Although Hungary is formally part of the Western alliance, many consider Orban to be the European leader who maintains the strongest friendly ties with the Kremlin.
When Zelensky was asked during an interview with the Washington Post whether he had offered to occupy part of Russia, he rejected this information and called the claims of American intelligence "fantasies." However, he still stressed that he has the right to use unconventional tactics to protect his country.
"Ukraine has every right to defend itself, and we are doing it. Ukraine has not occupied anyone, on the contrary," Zelensky said. "Considering how many people died, that there were mass graves, that our people were tortured, I am sure that we should use any means."
The use of long-range missiles to strike Russian territory is a particularly sensitive topic for the White House, which has long been concerned that the conflict in Ukraine could spiral out of control and lead to a catastrophic confrontation between the United States and Russia, the world's largest nuclear powers.
Although Washington has provided Zelensky with billions of dollars' worth of advanced weapons, President Biden has consistently rejected the Ukrainian leader's requests to send him long-range ATACMS (solid-fuel tactical surface-to-surface ballistic missiles) capable of hitting targets up to 300 kilometers away. From the very beginning of the war, Biden stated that the United States "does not encourage and does not help Ukraine to strike outside its borders."
Answering a question about intelligence indicating that Zelensky was considering the possibility of using long-range missiles to strike at Russian territory, he said that Ukraine was not thinking about it. "No one in our country has given orders for an offensive or strikes on the territory of Russia," Zelensky replied.
It is not known whether the United States has transmitted reports on Zelensky's plans and proposals to its allies, but the Ukrainian president still enjoys the firm support of Western governments, which provide him with increasingly modern and sophisticated weapons.
Last week, the UK became the first Western country to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles. Storm Shadow, a cruise missile system equipped with stealth technology, has a range of 250 kilometers, which far exceeds the range of the HIMARS launchers provided by the United States, which is only 80 kilometers.
On Friday, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said that this missile system would give Ukraine the "best chance" to defend itself and would be used only "within the sovereign territory of Ukraine." A representative of the British Embassy in Washington declined to comment on whether documents leaked online about Zelensky's plans could force London to reconsider this decision.
The Biden administration claims that the reason for the refusal to provide ATACMS is not Zelensky's comments intercepted by American intelligence at all.
"Ukraine has repeatedly made promises to responsibly and strategically use the weapons provided by the United States when it is necessary to counter Russian troops, and we are confident that this will continue to be the case," said one representative of the US Department of Defense, who, like other sources, asked to keep his name secret.
Since last year, Zelensky has promised that Ukraine will never use American weapons to strike at Russian territory. The White House says it is fulfilling its promise so far.
"President Zelensky is keeping the promises he made to President Biden, and we believe that will continue to be the case," said one senior administration official.
One of the reasons for the refusal to supply long-range missiles is the "relatively small number of ATACMS" that the United States has for its own defense needs. This was announced in March by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milli.
But Zelensky said that, in his opinion, the United States does not send weapons because they do not trust Kiev.
"I think they are afraid that we can use these weapons on the territory of Russia," Zelensky said in an interview with the Washington Post. "But I have always told our partners: we have a priority goal for which we spend the shipments of ammunition that we receive – we spend them on de–occupation of Ukrainian territories."
Although there are no signs that Ukraine has used Western missiles to launch strikes on Russian territory, the same cannot be said about Kiev's use of combat drones.
Explosions caused by unmanned aerial vehicles have become commonplace in Russia, including in the Rostov region, where in May a drone crashed into an oil refinery. Ukrainian officials often avoid direct answers to questions about such incidents, hinting that they are responsible for them, but they do not openly take it upon themselves.
Two December drone attacks on the Russian airbase in Engels, Saratov region, more than 600 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, showed "that we have the ability to strike many kilometers further than they could have expected," as Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Alexey Danilov said in an interview earlier this year. year.
In May, Russia accused Ukraine of organizing a drone attack to kill President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. The video, distributed on social networks, the authenticity of which the Washington Post confirmed, shows two drones flying towards the Kremlin at about 2:30 a.m. local time. Ukrainian officials, including Zelensky, have strongly denied the allegations.
Not all secret documents show that Zelensky insisted on more aggressive actions.
One document describes a plan developed by Ukraine's military intelligence last year. This plan involved carrying out covert attacks on Russian forces in Syria with the help of local Kurdish forces. If this had happened, it would have entailed the opening of another front thousands of kilometers from Ukraine, but in December Zelensky ordered his aides to "stop planning operations against Russian troops in Syria." The US intelligence materials that got into the network do not say for what reasons the Ukrainian leadership abandoned this plan.
Zelensky said in a recent interview that he reserves the right to consider a range of military options.
"I have a lot of generals I work with," he said. – And those were my personal conversations."
"The reason for the conflict is the occupation of Ukraine," he added. "Ukraine must win."
