According to a new book by author Chris Wipple, CIA director William Burns warned the Ukrainian president that the Russians planned to kill him in a secret meeting in Kyiv in January 2022.
– The intelligence was so detailed that it helped Zelenskyi’s security forces prevent two separate attempts to kill him, the book says according to Business Insider.
Secret meeting
According to the newspaper, it is rare for the US to share such detailed intelligence, which may indicate that they were very sure that they had understood the Russians’ intentions correctly.
The meeting took place less than a month before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and has previously been mentioned by Dagbladet.
– He ridicules the West
In the same meeting, the CIA chief shared information about Russia’s impending invasion of Ukraine.
Warning
It was especially the warnings about the Russians’ plans to use the Antonov airfield in Hostomel outside Kyiv to supply the invasion war militarily that became significant.
From the very beginning, the airport was the subject of very fierce battles which resulted in it being completely destroyed – before the Russians could use it for any military purpose.
Stopped Kyiv intensive
Intelligence expert Tom Røseth has previously stated to Dagbladet that the intelligence Burns shared may have helped decide the outcome of the war, as it was probably heavily instrumental in preventing them from taking Kyiv in a few days, as Putin first thought would be the case.
– Can collapse at any time
– As Napoleon said: A good spring replaces 20,000 men. Good situational awareness in the operational areas, knowledge of air attacks and where the weaknesses are can determine the course of the war. Intelligence can contribute to that, Røseth told Dagbladet in May 2022.
Short affair
The Russians’ intensive outside Kyiv was a short-lived affair, before they were pushed completely out of central Ukraine.
According to Røseth, the massive military resistance the Russians faced in Kyiv probably came as a blow to Russia.
– They thought the war would go quickly and easily for them, and that it would quickly lead to a change of regime in Kyiv. They have not recognized the political development in Ukraine in the last eight years, Røseth told Dagbladet in May.
