The Ukrainian military wanted to strike Moscow on the anniversary of the Russian invasion: the United States persuaded them not to do this

At the request of the US, Ukraine delayed strikes on Russia on the anniversary of the invasion, a secret report reveals. The head of Ukrainian military intelligence, Kirill Budanov, planned bold strikes deep behind enemy lines, which has worried officials in Washington, reports Washington Post.

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In February, days before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, officials in Kyiv were busy planning an attack on Moscow.

Major General Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence Agency (DID), instructed one of his officers to "prepare for mass strikes on February 24... with everything we have," according to a classified report by the US National Security Agency (NSA). Ukrainian officials have even speculated about a TNT sea-based strike in the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, a largely symbolic operation that would nonetheless demonstrate Ukraine's ability to strike deep into enemy territory.

Back in Washington, officials secretly followed the plans of the Ukrainians. The White House has long feared that attacks inside Russia could provoke an aggressive Kremlin response.

On February 22, two days before the anniversary, the CIA released a new secret report: the GUR "agreed, at the request of Washington, to postpone strikes" on Moscow. The documents, which are part of classified information allegedly spread on the gaming server by a 21-year-old National Guard officer, do not explain who exactly asked for the postponement of the strikes and why the Ukrainians agreed not to commit their plan.

But they are a concrete example of the broader tension that has characterized much of the war: Ukraine, seeking to bring the war into Russian territory, is sometimes held back by the United States, which is trying to avoid escalating the conflict. Some US officials view attacks on Russia, especially if they involve US-supplied weapons to Ukraine, as very risky operations. These actions, Russian President Vladimir Putin may consider so dangerous that he resorts to the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

On the subject: Russian fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb on Belgorod: 3 people were injured

Yet mysterious explosions and drone strikes continue to occur in Russia. Ukrainian officials often cover up incidents, only hinting that they are responsible.

“The earth is round - a discovery made by Galileo,” presidential adviser Mikhail Podolyak tweeted in December after the attack on the Engels 2 airbase deep in Russia. “If you launch something into the airspace of other countries, sooner or later the unknown flying objects will return to the point of departure.”

Operations on foreign territory fall under the competence of the GUR. Budanov, an ambitious 37-year-old general and a rising star in the Ukrainian army, does not admit that his agency was behind the attacks. But he warned that they would continue.

“It destroyed their illusions of security,” Budanov said in January. — There are people who plant explosives. There are drones. Until the territorial integrity of Ukraine is restored, there will be problems within Russia.”

Budanov did not comment on this article. US officials have not commented on the leaked documents. In private, US and European officials express their admiration for Budanov. But they also say that his cockiness sometimes makes them nervous.

According to the documents, on February 13, the day Budanov ordered one of his officers to be ready for an operation allegedly directed at Novorossiysk, the United States duplicated a warning to Americans in Russia to leave the country immediately.

Budanov is known for bold statements that many Western officials are skeptical of. He said Putin was terminally ill, a claim that American intelligence officials dismissed. Budanov exudes confidence that Ukraine will defeat Russia—and soon. He said Crimea, a heavily fortified peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, should be returned to Kyiv this summer. The leaked documents show that the US intelligence community considers such a scenario unlikely.

The documents also show that the US intelligence community is monitoring Budanov's communications, which does not appear to be news to the general.

Washington's requests on the eve of the anniversary of the war, apparently, were only partially heeded. "There is no indication" that Ukraine's security service, the SBU, "agreed to postpone its own plans to attack Moscow around the same day," the CIA report said. The SBU, which is responsible for state security and reports directly to the president, also conducts special operations.

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Ukraine did not seem to hold back the fire for long. A week after the anniversary, Moscow publicly accused Kyiv of trying to launch drone strikes on infrastructure in Russia, including near the capital.

Ukraine continues to seek to expand the battlefield beyond its home territory, according to secret documents. The documents say that Budanov's agency was planning an attack on members of the notorious Russian military contractor Wagner Group in Mali, whose personnel assist the Malian government in providing security and training its military. Wagner played a key role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and provides significant frontline support to the Russian armed forces.

“It is not known at what stage operations in Mali are currently at and whether the GUR has received permission to carry out its plans,” the NSA document says.

The GUR has also developed plans to carry out covert attacks on Russian forces in Syria using secret Kurdish assistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suspended the offensive, but one intelligence document details how Budanov's agency was still able to carry out the attacks.

Officials in Washington and Europe have warned Ukraine of attacks outside its territory that they say have gone too far. In August, a car bomb killed Darya Dugina near Moscow in an attack apparently directed at her father, a Russian nationalist whose writings helped shape the Kremlin narrative about Ukraine. Since then, Western officials have said they made it clear to Zelensky that they knew his government was responsible. Officials said the attack was seen as a provocation and could lead to a harsh response from Russia.

US officials are also concerned that Beijing is likely to view Ukrainian attacks on Russian soil as "an opportunity to portray NATO as the aggressor" and that China could step up its support for Russia if it deems the attacks were "significant."

So far, officials say there is no sign that China has granted Russia's request for military assistance. However, a Ukrainian attack on Moscow using weapons provided by the United States or NATO is likely to indicate to Beijing that “Washington is directly responsible for the escalation of the conflict” and provide China with a possible justification for arming Russia.

The United States forbids Ukraine from using American weapons to strike Russia. One Ukrainian official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity, pointed to a December attack on a Russian strategic bomber base using Ukrainian-made drones as evidence that Kiev is adhering to the rules imposed by Washington.

Ukrainian officials have long privately stated that the United States has de facto control over some military operations. For example, Kiev will generally not launch its advanced US-provided missile systems without confirmed or US-provided coordinates from a base in Europe to ensure strike accuracy and save artillery.

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A senior Ukrainian official said Kiev's willingness not to fire on certain targets and coordinate with the Americans should prompt the United States to provide more advanced, longer-range weapons such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), a munition that has a range of 300 km. Biden administration officials have refused to provide the weapons, which are in limited supply and could be seen by Russia as an escalation by the United States, officials said.

Attacks may also affect Putin. Citing security concerns, he recently decided to cancel some regional Victory Day parades marking the approaching anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany. May 9 is considered one of the most important holidays in Russia and an opportunity for the Kremlin to show off its military muscle by displaying tanks and other weapons in the center of Moscow.

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