Ukraine wanted to carry out a daring attack on Crimea
(Baonghean.vn) - Business Insider reported that Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny wanted to conduct a daring offensive in Crimea in 2022, but was opposed by the US.
According to Ria Novosti, the US publication Business Insider on January 9 quoted information from a new book by journalist Yaroslav Trofimov from the Wall Street Journal saying that the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny wanted to carry out a “bold counterattack” in 2022 to isolate Russian forces in Crimea. However, at that time, the US - the largest military aid provider to Kiev, did not support this plan.
“There is a plan to break through the Zaporozhye region, and cut off the land bridge to isolate Russian forces in Crimea,” Business Insider said.
Notably, in discussions on military plans with Western partners, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny advocated a bold counterattack in the direction of the Sea of Azov. However, US officials are wary of proposals from Kiev, as the country has not yet demonstrated its offensive capabilities.
"The US asked Ukraine to take control of Kherson, but they did not have the manpower and equipment to advance south. Washington thought that if Kiev attacked more than they could do in the south, they would be crushed," Business Insider quoted a Pentagon official.
According to the US magazine, Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny disagreed with Washington's assessment. However, according to Business Insider, the US controls the majority of military aid to Ukraine, so there is little debate about Kiev's plan.
The plan to attack and isolate Crimea has been a constant goal of Ukraine since the conflict with Russia broke out. In an interview with the Economist (UK) on January 1, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that in 2024, the Ukrainian Armed Forces will focus on operations on the Crimean peninsula, and switch to a defensive position in the East. Accordingly, in the East, protecting Kharkov, Dnepr, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Nikolaev is the "immediate task" of the Ukrainian army.
Meanwhile, according to former US intelligence officer Scott Ritter, Ukraine could lose control of several cities, including Kharkov, Nikolaev and Odessa. According to Mr. Ritter, this would be the end of Ukraine if President Zelensky does not start peace negotiations./.
