Secret US documents leaked to the public contain hypothetical development scenarios conflict in Ukraine.
including them outlined The newspaper writes that there are options regarding the possible death of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. New York Times.
“In a leaked document outlined Four “joker” scenarios in Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Scenarios considered by the Defense Intelligence Agency include the deaths of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
In addition, the proposed options include “removal from the leadership of the Russian Armed Forces and Ukraine’s attack on the Kremlin.”
“The document says the war will likely be prolonged. But he explains how each wildcard scenario could potentially lead to an escalation in Ukraine, ending the conflict, or not having a significant impact on the course of the war.
“Wild Card”
The article also points out that the script document is a fairly typical product created by the secret services. “It is designed to help the military, politicians or legislators think about the possible consequences of major events when considering options.
The document is marked “Relido” – which indicates that the decision to disclose the information – to foreign partners, for example – rested with some high-ranking official. It is dated February 24 and marked “One year”, which indicates that the analysis was made one year after the start of the invasion.”
One of four hypothetical scenarios illustrates what would happen if Ukraine hit the Kremlin.
“A broad spectrum of potential outcomes is being identified. <…> Public fears can make it [Путина] go to negotiations to resolve the conflict,” writes the NYT.
According to the newspaper, the administration of US President Joseph Biden is particularly worried about a possible Ukrainian attack on Moscow, as this could result in a sharp escalation from Russia. Journalists emphasize that the danger of such an attack from Ukraine is one of the reasons why the US does not want to provide longer-range missiles to Kiev.
At the same time, the scenarios above are explained without considering which of them might be the most likely.
US officials declined to say whether the leaked document was genuine, but did not dispute its authenticity. At the same time, according to the authors of the article, this document is similar to other documents prepared by the joint headquarters of the Pentagon and accepted by the authorities as authentic.
US officials also warned that the leaked documents may be outdated and “in many cases do not reflect the current assessments of various intelligence agencies”.
Gasoline prices
The second “top secret document” obtained by journalists details the negotiations on Russian fuel prices in Africa.
According to a February 17 document, Malian officials at the time were not satisfied with fuel prices and were negotiating with representatives of the Russian Ministry of Energy and an organization allegedly linked to Wagner PMC.
This apparent price drop comes at a time when the African fuel market is becoming increasingly important to Russia amid a Western-imposed “price ceiling” and an EU ban on imports of Russian petroleum products, which continues to reduce current revenue streams.