During his visit to Berlin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that his country has no intention of attacking targets in Russia. “We are not attacking Russian territory,” he said. “We have neither the time nor the strength to do this, and we no longer have the weapons with which we could do this.” The offensive serves to “take back the unlawfully conquered territories”.
But the Washington Post, in a report, describes Ukraine’s president as a figure with courageous instincts that contrast sharply with his public image as a calm and stoic statesman who endures brutal Russian onslaught. The newspaper refers to the so-called “Discord Leaks”, which have already caused a sensation worldwide in the past week because they have made secret service information accessible to the general public. These documents, based on intercepted digital communications, would offer a rare glimpse into Zelensky’s reasoning, according to the Washington Post.
Zelenskyj wanted to attack Russian villages
Behind closed doors, Zelenskyy apparently suggested going in a bolder direction. He suggested occupying Russian villages in order to strengthen one’s own position in negotiations with Moscow. Zelenskyi also suggested bombing a pipeline carrying Russian oil to Hungary, a NATO member. He also expressed a private desire for long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia’s borders, according to the Washington Post, citing US classified documents.
In some cases, Zelensky would have curbed the ambitions of his subordinates; in several others he would have been the one to suggest risky military action. In a meeting in late January, he suggested that Ukraine “carry out attacks in Russia” while Ukrainian ground forces are deployed to enemy territory to “occupy unspecified Russian border towns,” according to the Washington Post.
Missiles against targets in Russia? A touchy subject
At a separate meeting in February with General Valery Zaluzhny, Ukraine’s supreme military commander, Zelenskyy expressed concern that Ukraine does not have long-range missiles capable of reaching or attacking Russian troop deployments in Russia. Instead, he would have suggested that Ukraine use drones to attack unspecified deployment sites in Rostov, a region in western Russia.
The use of long-range missiles to combat inside Russia is a particularly sensitive issue for the White House amid fears that the Ukraine conflict could spiral out of control and lead to a catastrophic confrontation between the US and Russia, according to the Washington Post. US President Joe Biden has consistently refused Zelenskyy’s request for long-range ATACMS, an acronym for the Army Tactical Missile System, which is capable of hitting targets up to 200 kilometers away.
When questioned about intelligence information that he was considering using long-range missiles to counter Russia, Zelenskyy said it was not something Ukraine was considering. “No one in our country has orders to attack or strike Russian territory,” Zelenskyy said, according to the report.
Again and again drone strikes through Kiev
Despite Zelenskyy’s recorded statements, the US government has maintained its support for Ukraine and has continued to provide him with sophisticated weapons. Recently, Britain also became the first Western country to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles. The Storm Shadow, a cruise missile system with stealth capabilities, has a range of around 200 kilometers, which far exceeds the 75-kilometer range of the US-supplied HIMARS launchers, according to the Washington Post.
However, Zelenskyy, it is reported, believes that the US is not sending the weapons because it does not trust Kiev. “I think they’re afraid that we might use them on Russian territory,” Zelensky reportedly told the Washington Post.
While there is no evidence that Ukraine used Western missiles to strike Russian territory, the same could not be said of Kiev’s use of armed drones. Explosions caused by unmanned aerial vehicles have become a regular occurrence in Russia, including in Rostov. Ukrainian officials often imply that they are responsible without directly admitting it, the Washington Post concludes.
