The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, began planning an operation in the Kursk region in July, when he was under pressure from Russia’s active offensive in Donbas, Babel reports.
According to The Economist, citing sources, Syrskyi considered several scenarios for the Ukrainian army to attack the weakest points of Russian defense: an invasion of Bryansk or Kursk region or both. The goal was to reduce the offensive of Russian troops in Donbas and get a trump card for any future negotiations.
Chief Syrskyi kept his plans secret. He shared them only with a few generals and security officials. He also spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy face-to-face, without his staff.
It is known that a significant part of the intelligence was carried out by army intelligence, not the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, which was included in the operation at a late stage. Western allies were also kept in the dark.
According to the sources, two operations planned by Syrskyi were thwarted by the West. In one case, the information got to the Russians, and in the other, Western allies ordered not to implement the plan. The secrecy allowed the Ukrainian army to launch the attack before the Russians realized what was happening.
They realized that something was going on, but probably assumed that we would need American authorization for such a bold operation, – said one source.
Alexander Syrskyi also misled Russia by concealing the arrival of the most trained units to the Sumy border under the pretext of defending against an alleged Russian attack on the region.
Now the commander-in-chief is focused on expanding his flanks along the border. The Ukrainian contingent is establishing control over the southern bank of the Seim River northwest of Suzha. Russia initially considered the breakthrough not too serious. However, it is now bringing in more trained troops to respond to the invasion.
