Plans for Ukraine’s 2023 summer counteroffensive ‘became known to Russian federation’ before they began, Intelligence chief says
We have “evidence” that the plans for Ukraine’s 2023 summer counteroffensive “became known to the Russian federation” before it even began, the country’s Main Intelligence Directorate’s (HUR) chief Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Canada’s CBC News published on Feb. 28.
“It is a serious problem, and we are taking some action,” he said.
“I’m not going to say more than the president.”
Read also: All Ukrainian commanders optimistic about Ukrainian counter-offensive, Zelenskyy says
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted that the Kremlin knew about Kyiv’s counteroffensive plans before they began.
“Our counteroffensive actions last fall were on the Kremlin’s table even before they started,” he said at a major press conference held on Feb. 25 to mark the two-year anniversary of Russia’s ongoing full-scale invasion.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive, announced in spring 2023 alongside the formation of a Western tank coalition and the delivery of Western-style tanks, faced various setbacks.
Read also: Zelenskyy on Western armies, Ukraine’s losses, the need for Patriot systems, and speaking to Putin
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) successfully liberated several villages on the border of Zaporizhzhya and Donetsk oblasts in June. The Defense Ministry reported that Ukrainian troops were engaged in a preparatory formative operation, saying that the main offensive was yet to come.
Western media publications later began to suggest that the Ukrainian forces’ progress was lagging, a situation that can partly be attributed to extensively reinforced Russian defense lines. President Zelenskyy acknowledged that the counteroffensive was falling short of its desired pace.
In late June, Western media began to note that Ukraine had begun to change tactics after failures in the first stage. The Washington Post later said that Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi abandoned the original plan after four days.
Read also: Zelenskyy vows Ukraine preparing new counteroffensive as top brass overhaul aims to improve posture
Ukraine has been disappointed that some of its allies seem to have underestimated the scale of the battlefield and the strength of Russian defenses, possibly causing them to deliver military aid more slowly and hindering the counteroffensive’s progress, said Bloomberg.
President Zelenskyy has nevertheless asserted that Ukraine “remains strong” and emphasized that Ukraine achieved a number of remarkable successes in the Black Sea and in Russia-occupied Crimea.
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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
