Despite assurances from the Western governments that supplied him with weapons that he would not use them for attacks on Russian territory, at home, behind closed doors, Volodymyr Zelenskyi proposed to go in a bolder direction: occupying Russian settlements to gain leverage on Moscow for bombing. The Druzhba Pipeline, which transports Russian oil to NATO member Hungary, privately wants long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia’s borders, according to classified US intelligence documents detailing his internal communications with top advisers and military leaders. The Washington Post reports.

The previously undisclosed documents were obtained by The Washington Post and are part of a larger trove of classified US information shared on the Discord messaging platform, where they were illegally posted by Jack Teixeira, an employee at a US air base. US National Guard of Massachusetts, the young man is currently under arrest.

The information was gathered through intercepted digital communications, providing rare insight into how Zelensky made decisions amid waves of Russian missile attacks and war crimes.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has won the trust of Western governments by avoiding using the weapons they supply to attack Russian territory and by prioritizing attacks on Russian forces inside Ukraine’s borders. But documents seen by The Washington Post show a leader with aggressive instincts, a stark contrast to his public image as a calm and stoic statesman standing up to Russia’s brutal attacks.

In the Pentagon, where the high-ranking American military leadership was informed about the problems outlined in the leaked documents, the authenticity of the materials was not denied, The Washington Post notes.

According to the intercepted data, in some cases Zelensky limits the ambitions of his subordinates, and in others he himself proposes risky military actions.

ZELENSKY PROPOSED TO OCCUPY THE BORDER PLACES OF RUSSIA

Thus, at a meeting at the end of January, Zelensky suggested Ukraine to “strike Russia”, during which Ukrainian ground troops will be sent to the enemy’s territory to “occupy unspecified border cities of Russia”, the “completely secret” document shows. . According to the document, the purpose of this operation would be to “give Kyiv leverage in negotiations with Moscow.”

At a separate meeting at the end of February with the chief of the General Staff, General Valery Zaluzhny, Zelensky “expressed concern” that “Ukraine has no long-range missiles capable of reaching the deployment of Russian troops in Russia, nor anything to attack.” with them”. Zelenskyy then “suggested that Ukraine would attack unspecified locations in the Rostov region in western Russia using drones instead,” according to another classified document.

ZELENSKY WANTED TO LEAVE ORBAN WITHOUT RUSSIAN OIL

At a meeting in mid-February with Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svridenko, Zelensky proposed to “blow up” the Druzhba oil refinery built in the USSR, which supplies Russian oil to Hungary. “Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine should simply blow up the pipeline and probably destroy Hungarian Viktor Orban’s industry, which is heavily dependent on Russian oil,” the document says.

In the details of the conversation, U.S. intelligence officials note that Zelenskyi “expressed anger at Hungary and was therefore able to make hyperbolic, nonsensical threats,” a characterization that does not accompany Zelenskyi’s other narratives involving bold military action. Although Hungary is nominally part of the Western alliance, Orbán is generally seen as the European leader closest to the Kremlin, WP notes.

ZELENSKY DID NOT ALLOW BUDANOV TO ATTACK RUSSIAN FORCES IN SYRIA

On the other hand, not all classified documents show that Zelensky is pushing for more aggressive actions against Russia.

One of the documents describes a plan developed last year by Ukrainian military intelligence (led by General Kyryl Budanov – no) to carry out secret attacks on Russian troops in Syria with the help of the Kurds.

The detailed plan would have opened up a new battlefield thousands of kilometers from Ukraine, but in December Zelensky ordered his advisers to “stop planning operations against Russian forces in Syria,” the document said, without explaining why the plan was scrapped.

ZELENSKY: “I’M CONVINCED THAT WE SHOULD USE ANY TERRITIP”

Asked during an interview with The Washington Post in Kyiv whether he proposed occupying parts of Russia, Zelensky dismissed US intelligence claims as “fantasy” but defended his right to use unconventional tactics to defend his country, the American newspaper said.

“Ukraine has every right to defend itself, and we are doing it. Ukraine did not occupy anyone, on the contrary,” Zelenskyy said. “When so many people died, and there were mass graves, and our people were tortured, I am sure that we should resort to all sorts of tricks,” the Ukrainian leader said.

Asked about information that he was considering using long-range missiles to strike Russia, Zelenskyy said that was not something Ukraine was considering. “No one from our country gave orders to attack or strike on the territory of Russia,” he assured.

In the interview, Zelensky also stated that he reserves the right to explore a number of military options. “I have many generals with whom I work,” Zelenskyi said. “And these are my personal conversations,” the Ukrainian leader noted. “The war is the occupation of Ukraine,” he added. “Ukraine must win,” the president insisted.

GREAT BRITAIN DELIVERED LONG-RANGE MISSILES TO UKRAINE

It is unclear whether the United States has shared information with allies about what Zelensky is up to, but the Ukrainian president continues to enjoy strong support from Western governments, which are providing him with an increasingly sophisticated array of weapons, The Washington Post notes. .

Last week, Great Britain became the first Western country to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles. The Storm Shadow cruise missile system has a range of 250 km, significantly exceeding the 80 km range of the US-supplied HIMARS launchers.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said on Friday that the missile would give Ukraine the “best chance” to defend itself and would only be used “within sovereign Ukrainian territory”.

A spokesman for the British Embassy in Washington declined to comment on whether Zelensky’s remarks in the released documents could force London to reconsider its decision, The Washington Post reports.

LONG-RANGE MISSILES ARE A FURTHER TOPIC FOR THE WHITE HOUSE

The use of long-range missiles to strike Russia is a particularly sensitive topic for the White House, which has long feared that the war could spiral out of control and lead to a catastrophic confrontation between the United States and Russia. world.

Although Washington has provided Zelensky with billions of dollars worth of advanced weapons, President Biden has consistently rejected the Ukrainian leader’s request for the ATACMS long-range tactical missile system, capable of hitting targets up to 300 kilometers away.

Since the beginning of the war, Biden has stated that the United States “does not encourage and does not allow Ukraine to strike outside its borders.”

OFFICIALLY, THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT DOESN’T HAVE SUFFICIENT ATACMS SYSTEMS

On the other hand, the Biden administration claims that the reason for the delay in providing the ATACMS systems is Zelensky’s unintercepted comments. “Ukraine has repeatedly pledged to responsibly and strategically use US-supplied weapons when necessary to counter Russian aggression, and we are confident that it will continue to do so,” said a US Defense Department representative.

Since last year, Zelenskyi has promised that Ukraine would never use American weapons to strike inside Russia, and the White House says he has kept that promise. “President Zelenskyi has kept his promises to President Biden, and we don’t think that will change,” said a senior administration official.

One of the reasons for not providing long-range missiles is the “relatively small number of ATACMS systems” the United States has for its own defense needs, Gen. Mark Milley, the chief of staff, told Defense One in March. .

ZELENSKY SAYS THAT WE DON’T BELIEVE HIM

At the same time, Zelenskyi said that he believes that the United States does not send weapons because it does not trust Kyiv.

“I think they are afraid that we can use them on the territory of Russia,” Zelensky told The Washington Post. “But I would always tell our partners: we have a priority goal for which we spend the packages we receive, and we spend them to liberate the occupied Ukrainian territories,” he said.

THE USE OF DRONES IS A DIFFERENT STORY

While there is no indication that Ukraine has used Western missiles to strike Russian territory, the same cannot be said for Kiev’s use of trap drones.

Explosions caused by drones have become a regular occurrence in Russia, particularly in Rostov, where a drone crashed into an oil refinery this month. Ukrainian officials are ambivalent about these incidents, hinting that they are responsible, but not taking direct credit.

Two drone attacks in December on the Russian Engels Air Base in Saratov, located more than 600 km from the Ukrainian border, showed “that we have the ability to reach much further than expected,” commented Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. and the Defense Council in an interview earlier this year.

This month, Russia accused Ukraine of orchestrating a drone strike to kill President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. Videos circulating on social media and verified by The Washington Post show two drones heading toward the Kremlin around 2:30 a.m. Ukrainian officials, including Zelenskyi, strongly deny the allegations.

Source: news.ro