ON THE OFFENSIVE

Ukrainian President Proposed ‘Strikes in Russia’ in Push to Win War: Leaked Docs

The Ukrainian president floated more brazen tactics in discussions with military officials earlier this year, according to The Washington Post.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed a series of brazen moves to help his country defeat Russia, including carrying out “strikes in Russia” and having troops move into “Russian border cities,” according to leaked documents detailed by The Washington Post. The documents, part of the leak of classified U.S. materials on Discord, recount internal communications Zelensky had with his staffers and military officials in January and February. The Pentagon has not disputed that the documents are authentic, according to the Post. While at times he called for restraint in the discussions, at other times he suggested more aggressive strategies to gain leverage in the war. One document reportedly notes that he proposed “that Ukraine attack unspecified deployment locations in Rostov”; in another he reportedly floated the idea that Ukraine could “blow up” the Druzhba pipeline supplying Hungary with oil. Zelensky, asked if he had indeed considered occupying parts of Russia, told the Post the ideas noted by U.S. intelligence were just “fantasies.”