Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has proposed “strikes in Russia” and troop invasions of “Russian border cities” in a desperate bid to defeat Vladimir Putin, according to leaked documents.
The top secret US documents seen by the Washington Post reveal that President Zelensky wanted to attack “unspecified locals in Rostov,” a Russian city near the Ukrainian border.
He also suggested that Ukrainian forces could “blow up” the Russian Druzhba pipeline that provides oil to NATO member Hungary – a move that would have potentially destroyed industry in the country.
President Zelensky showed greater restraint in other conversations with subordinates detailed in the leaked documents, but the Post reports that he was pushing major military risks in several private talks.
In one top secret document from a meeting in late January, Zelensky is said to have pushed for strikes on Russia and an invasion of border cities to “give Kyiv leverage in talks with Moscow.”
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At a later meeting in February with Ukraine’s top military commander General Valery Zaluzhny, Zelensky fretted that Ukraine did not have “long-range missiles capable of reaching Russian troop deployments in Russia nor anything with which to attack them.”
At a separate February meeting, the Ukrainian president proposed blowing up the Druzhba pipeline first built by the Soviet Union.
US intelligence said Zelensky was furious with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and could have been throwing around “hyperbolic, meaningless threats” to blow off steam.
The explosive top secret documents obtained by the Washington Post were part of leaks on the Discord messaging platform that first came to light in April. The Pentagon has not denied the latest documents on Zelensky are authentic.
Speaking to the Post, Zelensky said the intelligence claims were fantasies but went on the say Ukraine had “every right to protect itself” with unconventional moves.
He said: “When so many people have died and there have been mass graves and our people have been tortured, I am sure that we have to use any tricks.”
Details of Zelensky’s private threats come days after the UK sent supplies of long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace confirmed on Thursday that the UK had agreed to supply Storm Shadow missiles to Kyiv after continued Russian attacks on Ukraine.
Mr Wallace warned: “Try as they might, the Kremlin cannot hide the fact that their invasion is already failing. They can only occupy the rubble left by their destruction.”
