Former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current ambassador to London, General Valery Zaluzhny, confirmed the existence of a joint operational headquarters with partner countries in Wiesbaden, Germany, which played a key role in planning Ukrainian military operations in 2022-2023. This became clear from a post by Zaluzhny himself on Facebook, commenting on a New York Times investigation that revealed both strategic cooperation and disputes between Kiev and Washington, reports the BBC, reports News.bg.
“This headquarters has become our secret weapon“, wrote Zaluzhny, revealing that after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, a logistics coordination center was created, which later evolved into an operational planning platform. With the assistance of Britain, the structure in Wiesbaden has begun to analyze the needs of the Ukrainian army according to NATO standards, conduct military exercises and prepare strategic operations that have been shared with Washington and its allies.
Zaluzhnyi's statements come against the backdrop of revelations of behind-the-scenes conflicts between the Ukrainian and American military, described in an extensive investigation by the New York Times. The publication says that as early as 2022, the headquarters in Wiesbaden provided intelligence information about Russian targets on Russian territory, including attacks with sea drones and long-range missiles.
According to the NYT, senior officials in Washington were shocked and angry when in April 2022, Ukraine struck the missile cruiser "Moskva" without prior notice. The incident was seen by the US administration as a violation of the agreed rules of cooperation and raised serious doubts about Kiev's transparency.
Tensions escalated in 2024 when Ukrainian forces invaded Russia's Kursk region without the knowledge of US allies. Although the White House initially suspended intelligence sharing, support was later resumed due to the risk that Ukrainian troops would be isolated and destroyed without outside help.
The NYT investigation also revealed the contentious dynamic between Zaluzhny and his successor as commander-in-chief, General Oleksandr Syrsky, as well as contradictions in the strategic priorities of the Ukrainian military and political leadership. The failure of the 2023 counteroffensive is explained by internal disagreements that lead to the division of resources between different fronts, instead of a concentrated operation in the direction of Melitopol.
Despite the general framework of cooperation, the investigation emphasizes that mutual trust between Kiev and Washington has been seriously tested. According to a senior Pentagon source, at certain moments the actions of the Ukrainian side were perceived as “almost blackmail“, especially when using Western equipment for offensive operations on Russian territory.
Zaluzhnyi, who has long been a symbol of the resilience of the Ukrainian army, now uses his voice to defend the efforts of the Ukrainian military and the role of international cooperation, but openly shows the depth of tension and disagreement that accompanied key military decisions.