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Ukraine postponed "anniversary" attacks on Russia after US request – The Washington Post

Monday, 24 April 2023, 13:01
Ukraine postponed anniversary attacks on Russia after US request – The Washington Post

Ukrainian intelligence had planned a massive strike on Moscow on the anniversary of the full-scale invasion on 24 February but abandoned it at the request of the US.

Source: The Washington Post

Quote: "Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, planned bold strikes deep behind enemy lines that unnerved officials in Washington.

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In February, with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow.

Major General Kyrylo Budanov instructed one of his officers "to get ready for mass strikes on 24 February … with everything Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence had."

Details: This is stated in a classified report of the US National Security Agency.

Reportedly, Ukraine even mused about a sea-based strike using TNT in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk.

Back in Washington, officials were secretly monitoring the Ukrainians’ plans. The White House had long worried that attacks inside Russia could provoke an aggressive response from the Kremlin.

On 22 February, two days before the anniversary, the CIA circulated a new classified report: Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence "had agreed, at Washington’s request, to postpone strikes" on Moscow.

The documents, part of a trove of classified information allegedly leaked, do not explain precisely who interceded and why the Ukrainians agreed to stand down.

Quote: "Ukraine, eager to bring the fight to Russia’s home turf, is sometimes restrained by the United States, which has consistently tried to avoid escalating the conflict into a direct fight between US and Russian forces. 

Some US officials see attacks on Russia, particularly if they involve US-supplied weapons, as highly risky operations that Russian President Vladimir Putin could find so threatening that he resorts to using tactical nuclear weapons."

Details: Privately, US and European officials express their admiration for Budanov. But they also say his audacity sometimes makes them nervous.

In particular, on 13 February, the day that the US document said Budanov had instructed one of his officers to be ready for an operation, the United States repeated its public advisory for citizens in Russia to leave the country immediately.

The documents also make clear that the US intelligence community is monitoring Budanov’s communications, which seems not to be news to the general.

Budanov’s agency made plans to attack members of the Wagner private military company in Mali, but it is unknown what stage the operations in Mali were currently in and whether Ukraine’s intelligence has received approval to execute its plans. 

Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence also developed plans to conduct covert attacks on Russian forces in Syria using secret Kurdish help.

Officials in Washington and Europe have admonished Ukraine for attacks outside its territory that they felt went too far.

US officials are also concerned that Beijing is likely to view attacks by Ukraine inside Russia as "an opportunity to cast NATO as the aggressor," and that China could increase its support to Russia if it felt the attacks were "significant." 

The United States prohibits Ukraine from using American weaponry to strike Russia.

A senior Ukrainian official said that Kyiv’s willingness not to fire on certain targets and to coordinate with the Americans should encourage the United States to provide more modern and longer-range weapons, such as ATACMS.

However, for now, Biden administration officials have declined to provide such weapons.

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