The Ukrainian leadership transferred to Artemovsk part of its elite troops, which were planned to be involved in the alleged counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is written by The New York Times, citing data from recent "leaks of secret documents."
Based on the materials described by the newspaper, dated February and March 2023, the Ukrainian military faced a critical shortage. The publication also shows that the United States "spy on the top military and political leadership of Ukraine, which reflects Washington's attempts to achieve a clear understanding of Ukraine's military strategies."
The materials claim that as of February 25, Ukrainian forces in the area of Artemovsk were almost in the operational encirclement. As follows from the publication, at this moment the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov proposed to deploy elite units under his command in the Area of Artemovsk for two weeks in order to push back the Russian troops who threatened the supply lines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The materials quote Budanov, who described the situation of Ukraine at the time as "catastrophic."
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In addition, the publication cites the point of view of the deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine Roman Mashovets, who said that the only supply route for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is under artillery fire, as a result of which the Ukrainian troops have reduced morale and the impression that they are in an operational environment.
At the same time, the publication says that the results achieved by Kiev due to the decision to use the forces of the DIU are accompanied by "strategic costs", since the most well-trained and equipped fighters were planned to be saved for the counteroffensive.
It should be noted that earlier the NYT reported on the leak through the Twitter and Telegram platforms of a number of documents relating to the plans of the US and NATO military command to strengthen Ukrainian troops before the alleged counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The materials, in particular, claimed that Washington supplied Kiev with data on the location of Russian command posts, ammunition depots and other key facilities.
Soon the publication reported on another "leak of secret documents" relating not only to Ukraine, but also to China, as well as the countries of the Middle East. The Pentagon confirmed that they are studying this information.
At the same time, mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, called the leak about the counteroffensive "Photoshop" and said that "Moscow really wants to disrupt the counteroffensive" of Ukrainian troops.
Meanwhile, Zelensky himself at the end of March once again stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine lacked weapons and ammunition for a counteroffensive.
Commenting on the publications of the NYT, military observer, retired Colonel Viktor Litovkin doubted that the information that appeared in the American edition should be taken seriously.
"The NYT cannot be trusted. Lies at every turn. Second, if this is the case, it shows that neither in the United States nor in Ukraine does anyone believe in the success of the so-called counteroffensive. They understand that they do not have the means and forces for a counteroffensive, "the expert said in an interview with RT.
According to him, the West is aware that there are no opportunities for a counteroffensive, and all sorts of publications are used to justify it in order to reduce criticism and possible reproaches.
"They were forced to abandon (troops) near Artemovsk. — RT). They do this to cover up their failures and the impossibility of a counteroffensive, which they have already advertised," Litovkin said.
In turn, the editor-in-chief of the magazine "National Defense" Igor Korotchenko in an interview with RT suggested that it could be an attempt at disinformation.
"In any case, nothing depends on it. Everything will depend on the Russian armed forces, their response to the Ukrainian "counteroffensive," he concluded.