Ukrainian spring offensive must not be jeopardized by leaks

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov has denied reports that the leaked documents about the war in Ukraine could jeopardize his country’s spring offensive. The American broadcaster CNN reported, according to a source close to the Ukrainian president, that some plans for an offensive had to be changed.

Danilov doubts this in an interview with the German “Tagesschau”: “I can say for sure that the number of people who know our plans on our territory is extremely limited”. He doesn’t think the CNN whistleblower had access to that information.

Last Thursday, documents were published on various platforms on the Internet that are supposed to show details about the war in Ukraine, such as arms deliveries and supplies. Its provenance and authenticity are still unclear. Some of the information appears to have changed.

Danilov confirmed Ukraine’s close contacts with its allies. “The data for the execution of certain operations, the size of the units, who is involved and in what direction – this information is absolutely classified,” said the adviser. The start of a counter-offensive is decided at the last moment – by the staff of the commander-in-chief. The choice of scenarios is large. You have several options. “Even three options wouldn’t be much,” Danilov said.

For several weeks there has been speculation about an offensive by the Ukrainian armed forces. Attempts to break through the front at Zaporizhia are possible, and attacks on Russian troops in southern Ukraine would be just as realistic. President Zelensky has also repeatedly emphasized that he considers Crimea to be Ukrainian territory. There have been several drone strikes on the peninsula in the past.

He also downplayed the importance of the leaked documents. Much information is public. In the case of classified documents, it would be up to the US and Britain to establish their provenance and why they had now come to the public.

The Ukrainian leadership has cast doubt on an alleged US wiretapping operation against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Consultations between the head of state and the army differed from published secret service documents, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said on Ukrainian television.

The publications do not jeopardize Ukraine’s relations with its Western partners. “These are normal analyses,” he said. Plans for a Ukrainian counter-offensive would also not be torpedoed because they are still being worked on.

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(t online)