Why Zelensky did not warn the Ukrainians about the Russian attack. Highlights from the Washington Post investigation
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A few days before Russian tanks abruptly crossed the Ukrainian border and began moving towards Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky advised citizens not to worry and prepare for “May kebabs”. But by the same time, the Western media for almost half a year constantly wrote about the “crazy plans” of the Kremlin regarding the invasion of Ukraine.
American newspaper Washington Post published unknown investigation (subscription required), in what happened, how the Ukrainian authorities received information about cases of attacks on Ukraine, and how they actually responded. Journalists of the publication spoke with more than 30 sources from among high-ranking officials of the United States, Ukraine, Europe and NATO, some of them demanded not to be named.
In addition, the Washington Post interviewed President Zelensky himself, who decided to explain what motives he led when he decided not to inform the population about the approach of a full-scale war until the last moment.
“A smart country would not have gone down this path”
U.S. President Joe Biden held an emergency meeting at the White House late last year with leaders, a military team and an investigation into the package, according to the Washington Post. It was devoted to information received from intelligence about the preparation of Russian invasions of Ukraine. The intelligence report was compiled from recent satellite footage, intercepted communications, and reports from sources.
This fall in the Biden administration passed several months in a row. The interlocutors of the publication note that several who were present at the White House at that time were hard to realize the scale of the Russian leader’s ambitions: they do not believe that “a smart country could do such a thing.”
According to The Washington Post, citing US intelligence data, Russian troops expect to capture most of Ukraine. In particular, moving from the territory of Belarus, they are supposed to encircle Kyiv in 3-4 days. Russian special forces were supposed to find President Zelensky, remove him from power and install a Kremlin-friendly puppet regime in Ukraine.
In parallel, Russian troops were to move from the east and pass through central Ukraine to the Dnieper, while troops from Crimea occupied the southeast coast. These actions of citizens, according to the Kremlin’s plan, can last several weeks. After a break for regrouping and rearmament, the Russians were to move to the west to a conditional line located between Moldova in the south and Belarus in the north.
Only a small area in western Ukraine was to remain free from Russian occupation. According to the Washington Post, “incorrigible neo-Nazi Russophobes” live there, according to Putin.
These intelligence data were presented to the United States by the Ukrainian leadership, but they were treated with skepticism in Kyiv, the publication says. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba explained this by saying that Ukraine asked for details, but they are not worried.
On January 12, the head of the CIA, Williams, met Zelensky in Kyiv and said that, according to statistics, Russia intends to make a noticeable lightning strike on supremacy and remove the head of the central government. The US also assumed that Russia first stationed troops at the airfield in Gostomel, one of the Kyiv suburbs, and then seized the assault on Kyiv.
(This prediction came true: one of the first operations of a large number of Russian troops that attacked Ukraine was an attempt to capture the airfield in Gostomel, where the largest operation in the world, the Ukrainian An-225 Mriya, was used during the fighting.)
In a secret meeting at the White House, Biden decided, according to The Washington Post, that Russian President Vladimir Putin either needed to be carried out or it was a chance – and that the US should not act on its own.
According to US national security adviser Jacob Sullivan, Joe Biden decided to send an envoy to Moscow to warn Putin about the consequences in case of an attack on Ukraine.
The American president also ordered to inform the allies about the intelligence data and convince them that the victims of the Russian Federation and the girls in Ukraine are needed together.
“The country would be in chaos”
In an interview with the Washington Post, President Zelensky admitted that he received information from the United States about the Russian threat. He also recalled that in January he met with the head of the CIA, Burns.
But at the same time, Zelensky added that the Western partners did not give details about a possible attack, about destruction “in general words.”
“I’m not ready to talk about everything that Burns said, but his main signals were about the threat to my life. newspaper.
He will slow down that he did not speak about this threat to the citizens of the country, so as not to sow chaos and not provoke economic problems. Zelensky cited the following figures: Ukraine is currently falling due to the war 5-7 billion dollars a month. The president isn’t sure you’ll stay through the winter and warm season.
“You can’t just tell me, ‘Look, you have to start preparing people now and tell them to save money and stock up on food.’ And the moment the Russians really attacked, they would have captured us in three days,” Zelensky said.
He believes that this is a self-evident decision, and it helped the attack. “And that’s what happened when the invasion began – we were as excluded as possible,” – said the President of Ukraine.
The head of state adds that he is grateful to the United States for help. Despite the fact that Ukraine needs large amounts of allied military forces to repel a Russian invasion.
“I have no complaints until the moment when someone starts telling me: “But we sent you signals.” Until these moments, I have no complaints. I tell them: “Give up your weapons,” Zelensky said in an interview.