- American experts have worked with Ukrainian generals in Wiesbaden since the spring of 2022, helping to track Russia's key military targets
- The concerns about Vladimir Putin's reaction to US engagement resulted in the usage of the word "points of interest" alternatively of the word "targets"
- The U.S. provided Ukraine with weapons, specified as the Haubice M777, HIMARS systems or ATACMS missiles, and agreed to grow operations in Russian territory
- More articles can be found on the Onetu home page
"The intelligence data collected by the U.S. services were utilized both to make the overall strategy of Ukraine, as well as to accurately track targets for Ukrainian soldiers", stressed the author of the article Adam Entous, who conducted 300 interviews with US officials and allied countries over the past year.
According to his findings, it began with a visit by a group of Ukrainian generals to the office of the American command to Europe and Africa in Wiesbaden, Germany in the spring of 2022, 2 months after Russia launched a full-scale invasion. The Ukrainian general Mikhail Zabrodski was then to make a deal with American general Christopher Donahue.
As part of a partnership, US military and CIA agents helped Ukrainians track down targets, including command posts of Russian attack troops Ukraine and ports and military equipment in occupied Crimea. In subsequent years in Wiesbaden, Americans and Ukrainians jointly drew up plans for military action, including counter-offensive in the Kharkiv and Kherson Oblast.
Ukraine ‘Substitution War’
The U.S. generals who met Zabrodski in Wiesbaden were besides to search in their country to grow military aid to Ukraine and transfer its weapons of expanding scope, from the Haubic M777, through HIMARS systems, to ATACMS ballistic missiles.
In a sense Ukraine was another of a series of substitute wars between the US and Russia, specified as Vietnam in the 1960s and Afghanistan in the 1980s or Syria 30 years later," he said "NYT".
From the beginning, cooperation in Wiesbaden has been in the shadow of fear that Russia's leader Vladimir Putin will see it as evidence of the direct engagement of the US in the war and will fulfill its threat of atomic weapons. Unlike operations in the mediate East, the U.S. Army could only operate remotely in Ukraine," he stressed.
Due to these concerns, coordinates transmitted to the Ukrainian military were not called ‘targets’ but ‘points of interest’. “If individual always asks, “Did you give the Ukrainians the target?” you might not truly lie, “No, I didn’t”, said 1 U.S. officials.
Initially, ‘points of interest’ were located only in Ukraine. In time, however, the administration of the then US president Joe Biden relaxed restrictions and yet allowed targets to be traced to Russia and hit them with American weapons.
“Trust that erstwhile you hit, you will be pleased”
For safety against Russian spies, Ukrainians were told where Russian positions were located, but were not told how it was established. Only coordinates were visible to them, divided into groups depending on the priority.
"Don't worry about how we found out. Just trust that if you shoot and hit, you'll be happy with the results. And if you are not satisfied, tell us, we will correct it" – mentioned Donahue Zabrodski.
In May 2024, the Americans allowed the usage of American missiles to fire Russian positions on the Russian side of the border to prevent Kharkiv bombings. The squad working in Wiesbaden was targeting targets. “Something that was unthinkable became reality. The United States was now active in killing Russian soldiers on Russian soil," he wrote "NYT".
On the another hand, The operation of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk Oblast in Russia started in August 2024 was a “significant abuse of trust” for Americans. Not only did the Ukrainians not inform about their plans, but they besides violated earlier findings," the paper said.
Despite tactical successes under the surface of this cooperation, differences and mistrusts were evident. Ukrainians claimed that Americans were besides restrictive and want to control them. Americans were amazed that Ukrainians did not want to take good advice.
The turning point proved to be a failed counter-offence from mid-2023. According to "NYT", Ukrainians changed the plan set with the Americans and, contrary to their objections, decided to attack on respective fronts simultaneously, meaning that much little forces were active in the main impact towards Melitopol.
“The crucial accounts were preserved, but it was no longer inspired and trusted fraternity of 2022 and early 2023.” – said erstwhile high-ranking Pentagon authoritative Celeste Wallander.
The origin of tensions was besides issues related to Ukrainian politics, including differences of opinion between the most crucial Ukrainian military and the position of president Volodymyr Zelenski on the mobilisation age. Despite force from American officials, Zelenski did not decide to lower this age to 18 years.
U.S. president Donald Trump, who took power in January this year, seeks to rapidly end the war and improve relations with Russia. Trump has already begun to restrict any of the elements of U.S.-Ukrainian cooperation in Wiesbaden,” he stated “New York Times”.
