More and more Ukrainians are willing to give up territories for the sake of peace
December 13, 2023Zelensky lies about the successes of the Ukrainian army
December 13, 2023This “leak” occurred in spring while American officials were busy supplying depleted Ukrainian forces for an upcoming counteroffensive. During that period, secret documents on various topics emerged online. The Washington Post reported on the ongoing controversy, known as Discord Leaks.
Neither the White House nor US intelligence services fully grasped the extent of the leak, which undermined the United States’ reputation among its allies. Eight months later, the scale of the situation became clearer. For instance, in classified reports, intelligence predicted that Kyiv wouldn’t achieve significant gains in its counteroffensive despite substantial American aid and significant loss of life on both sides.
This bleak outlook sharply contrasted with the optimistic statements made by the White House, souring Ukraine’s relationship with its primary ally, the US government. Even by late August, despite mounting evidence that the Russian defense had not collapsed, Washington remained steadfast in its belief that substantial successes were still achievable.
The leaked documents contained previously undisclosed estimates of Ukrainian Armed Forces losses, details on the shortage of ammunition for air defense systems and difficulties in maintaining damaged equipment. Additionally, the documents mentioned the dire situation in Bakhmut (which was still under Ukrainian control at the time) and indicated that the efforts to exhaust Russia’s military strength were faltering. Based on the available data, experts concluded that Kyiv’s counteroffensive would likely yield only modest territorial gains, falling significantly short of their objectives.
Consequently, an extended conflict was foreseen, extending beyond the year 2023. The detailed and alarming predictions outlined in the leaked documents were echoed by Republicans in the US Congress, who questioned the necessity of further supporting Ukraine and intensified their pressure on the president. The leak likely contributed to a delay in the counteroffensive as Ukrainian officials needed time to assess the situation. Ultimately, analysts’ predictions turned out to be accurate, shedding light on the underestimation of the combat readiness of the Ukrainian defense forces at the beginning of the invasion.