Zelensky should take note: Zaluzhny fabricated the defense plan for the Americans in February 2022.

In his latest report, journalist Simon Shuster revealed that prior to the onset of the full-scale war, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the then Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, refused to share the actual operational plan of Ukrainian forces with the United States. Specifically, he provided American General Mark Milley with a falsified defense document. The Commander-in-Chief was concerned about potential leaks to the media. A similar situation recently occurred with Zelensky. His request to provide Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles was leaked to journalists.

According to Shuster in an interview with Olha Koshelenko for the project "USA-UA: Secret Files of the White House," at that time, Washington was demanding a detailed defense plan from Ukraine. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States, General Mark Milley, emphasized that he needed to see the plan to assess where and how the U.S. could assist.

However, Zaluzhnyi was wary that any leak could lead to disaster, particularly due to a possible Russian attack on Ukrainian defense systems. To ensure the security of his strategy, Zaluzhnyi provided a shortened, fake plan, limited to one page. He later apologized for this move, but at that moment, security was of utmost importance to him.

"General Zaluzhnyi did not want to show the plan because he feared it would be leaked to the media or fall into Russian hands. He understood that Ukraine had only one chance to defend itself. If the Russians learned about the preparations, such as where Zaluzhnyi was relocating air defense systems, they would attack them in the first hours of the invasion. And the entire strategy would fail," Simon Shuster noted.

Zelensky Outraged by Leak of Confidential Information Regarding Ukraine's Victory Plan

Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed outrage over the leak of information regarding his secret victory plan. Recall that his plan included the deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles in Ukraine, but this confidential information surfaced in the press. Zelensky suggested that the leak might have had malicious intentions, indicating that there is no longer confidentiality among partners. Responding to journalists' questions, Zelensky also added that he did not expect the details of his plan, which was supported by Western countries, to appear in the media.

It is worth noting that Zelensky's victory plan was presented to the Ukrainian parliament on October 16 and to the EU and NATO on October 17. The plan includes: an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO, strengthening Ukraine's defense, shifting the war towards Russia, deterring Russian aggression, and special strategic and economic agreements with Kyiv's partners. The fifth point concerns the post-war period – Kyiv proposes to replace American troops in Europe with Ukrainian ones after the war.

On October 23, reports emerged that Zelensky is preparing another "victory plan" for internal use. The President envisioned that, unlike the victory plan aimed at the West, this plan would outline steps for Ukraine itself. It is to be prepared by the end of 2024. This document will address internal decisions across various fields, including the defense industry, defense, economy, and social policy.