Zelensky suggests counteroffensive plans were leaked to Russia
2 Min Read
The Ukrainian President says Kiev was preparing "several" versions of its battlefield strategy for 2024 to help avoid a repeat.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky answers media questions during his press conference in Kiev, Ukraine, on Sunday Feb. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested on Sunday that plans for Kiev's long-awaited counteroffensive last year had been leaked to Russia ahead of time through Ukraine's military aid donor countries or Ukrainian top military officials.
"Our counteroffensive action plans were on the Kremlin's table before the counteroffensive actions began," Zelensky said Sunday at a press conference in Kiev.
"The staff [of the Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief] is broad enough, the command of one or another direction is present there. It is quite a wide staff. There are also some of our partners who, in order to provide us with weapons, know some directions of our actions [on the battlefield]. They must know, because they will not allocate the appropriate package [otherwise]. And when there are so many people, the enemy has more details," he explained.
The Ukrainian President went on to say that Kiev was preparing "several" versions of its battlefield strategy for 2024 to help avoid a repeat.
Asked whether Ukraine had plans for another attempt at a counteroffensive this year, he said, "We have a plan, a clear plan. Several plans will be prepared because of information leaks."
In June 2023, Ukraine attempted a counteroffensive against Russia, deploying brigades trained by NATO instructors and armed with Western equipment, including Leopard and Challenger tanks.
Three months later, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that Kiev's push had failed, with Ukraine suffering heavy casualties. Several Western officials also admitted that the Ukrainian counteroffensive had not been successful.
