Zelensky: Kremlin had Ukraine’s military strategy prior to counteroffensive launch

Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's armed forces already have a new counteroffensive plan. However, only a few people in the state will know about it. In addition, although the military command has a clear plan for waging war in 2024, it is preparing several alternative plans due to information leaks.

President Volodymyr Zelensky stated this during his press conference.

The president was asked whether Ukraine will make another counteroffensive and how it will act in this case.

"The main thing is to have a plan. And this plan exists. I will not be able to tell you the details of this plan. I will explain to you: the fewer people know the plans of the Ukrainian army, the faster the victory will be, and the result is not expected for the Russians," Zelensky said.

At the same time, he stated that, unfortunately, the plan for Ukraine's counteroffensive in 2023 was known to the Russians even before it began.

"I will say frankly, our counteroffensive actions last year were on the Kremlin's table even before the counteroffensive actions began," he said.

The head of state also stated that the military command has a clear war plan for 2024 but is preparing several alternative variants.

"There is a plan. The plan is clear. I can't tell you the details; I don't have the right to do so. This plan is related to the change of leadership. Yes, there are corresponding changes," Zelensky said.

At the same time, he noted that several plans would be prepared "due to information leakage."

Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia plans to conduct the next counteroffensive at the end of May or the beginning of June.

He noted that Ukraine will prepare its plan for possible future counteroffensive actions by the Russian Federation.

At the same time, in Zelensky's opinion, the previous Russian counteroffensive, which began in October last year, "did not bring any results."

He said the coming months "will be difficult" for Ukraine, mainly because of "fluctuations" in the United States.

"We will go through a period of waves: political, financial, and various pressures," Zelensky said.

According to him, the "turning point" will be the presidential elections in the USA.

For reference:

In the summer of 2023, the Ukrainian military launched a counteroffensive in the south and east of Ukraine. Ukraine's armed forces managed to liberate more than a dozen settlements in the Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions. But the main goal – advancing to the Sea of Azov – could not be achieved.

Currently, the Ukrainian military is mostly in active defense and attacks whenever possible.

The German publication Welt stated that the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, Valery Zaluzhnyi, was planning a new counteroffensive. Experts and journalists say they may gather resources for further operations in 2024.

In turn, the new chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that the Ukrainian military has entered a new stage of waging war against the Russian Federation, aiming to exhaust the enemy.

In an interview with NBC News, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, also stated that Ukraine is considering changing its war strategy with the Russian Federation.