The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny kept a secret plan for how Ukraine would defend itself against the Russian invasion. It could not be opened in order not to rip it off.
The head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, spoke with Zaluzhny several times a week before the attack. Milli called for sharing defense plans, there were even requests for an inventory of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Milli offered Zaluzhny his strategic vision of defense:
- disperse mobile units,
- combine the forces of the regular army and guerrilla warfare.
< li>establish several lines of defense throughout the country,
Back to news He also did not talk about “weapon caches”. By the way, they were constantly moved around the country so that the Russian army could not destroy or capture them.
Some American officials thought that Zaluzhny did not fully believe US intelligence about the likelihood of a Russian invasion. The rest believed that he believed the data, but wanted to keep the military plans a secret from Zelensky.
Ukraine didn't trust anyone
The media quotes a statement by one of the high-ranking Ukrainian officials: “at that time we didn't trust anyone”.
Our plan was our only tiny chance of success, and we didn't want anyone to know about it at all,” the official added.
Zaluzhny's real strategy was to prevent the capture of Kyiv at all costs. In other regions, the Russian forces wanted to stretch out so that their advance outpaced the speed of the logistics and supply lines.
It was noted that Zaluzhny's idea was to briefly cede territory, but to be able to defeat the invaders.
Zaluzhny's thoughtful move
In order to keep this plan a secret, in February the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine seemed to agree to talk about their defense strategy. The military attache of the US embassy was summoned to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and showed her a drawing of Ukrainian positions and defense schemes. A copy was not provided, but handwritten notes were allowed.
Even outlining these conditions, Zaluzny was less than outspoken. His subordinates showed the attaché an erroneous version of the plan, masking the full scope of the defense campaign, the media writes.
US military official noted Zaluzhny's plan and masterfully mobile defense in depth.
Tensions between Milli and Zaluzhny turned into friendly relations
According to the publication, there was tension between Milli and Zaluzhny when Ukraine tried to get more Soviet MiG-29 aircraft.
Zaluzhny tried to explain to Milli that there were almost no fighter planes left in Ukraine, but the American general insisted that they seemed to be enough. The media write that the generals did not even talk for a week. But then the situation changed.
The US military representative notes that at first their conversations were formal and businesslike, and now they even talk about their families.
