Politico published an article based on the accounts of two anonymous high-ranking Ukrainian military personnel, according to which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky first proposed the idea of an offensive in the Kursk region.
He first floated the idea earlier this year, and Ukraine's then-commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny countered that there was no "clear second step" in the plan for the operation after crossing the border, writes Politico. Zaluzhny resigned as commander-in-chief on March 8 and was appointed ambassador to London.
Among the opponents of the operation, Politico's sources point to the commander of the 80th Airborne Assault Brigade, Emil Ishkulov. He was removed from that post in July, prompting open protests from the brigade's command staff.
Zaluzhny and Ishkulov did not comment on Politico's sources' statements. The article does not mention whether Zelensky or his representatives have been contacted for comment.
The version of events outlined by the publication's sources contradicts the way preparations for the operation in the Kursk region are presented in publications in other media. In them, the main role was given to the current commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, who was said to have proposed the idea, which until the end was kept secret from all but a small circle of his associates.