The New York Times Reveals in an Investigation "The Untold Story of America's Covert Role in the Ukraine War"

SadaNews - The New York Times detailed in an extensive investigative report what it described as the untold story of the covert U.S. role in the military operations of Ukraine against the invading Russian forces.

The investigation conducted by Adam Entous reveals the deep and covert role that the United States and its Western allies have played in supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the war with Russia in 2022, through a secret partnership that included military planning, intelligence, and military technology.

According to the investigation, this partnership began in the spring of 2022 when senior Ukrainian generals were transported to the U.S. command center in Wiesbaden, Germany, where the foundations for unprecedented cooperation were laid, which later became the backbone of Ukrainian military operations.

The partnership, as the newspaper states, focused on providing direct military and intelligence support, rather than merely supplying Ukraine with billions of dollars in weapons. Americans provided Ukrainian forces with precise intelligence and points of interest that enabled them to carry out significant strikes against Russian forces.

Indeed, this helped strike the Russian army in Kherson, Melitopol, and the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, leading to early Russian withdrawals and significant human losses.

American and Ukrainian officers worked side by side to manage battles from Wiesbaden's headquarters, making the Western alliance a direct part of military operations, according to the American newspaper.

Escalating Challenges

However, this partnership faced escalating challenges with the onset of the Ukrainian counter-offensive, as reported by the newspaper, when disagreements surfaced between Ukrainian and American leadership over strategic objectives. Ukrainians aimed for rapid and large victories to demonstrate political progress, while the Americans advised caution and reliance on available capabilities to avoid escalation with Russia, especially regarding red lines such as Crimea.

These tensions became notably evident in planning for the 2023 attack on Melitopol and Bakhmut, where the intervention of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the equal distribution of munitions weakened the effectiveness of operations, especially when one of his generals focused on Bakhmut, leading to the failure of the main attack, according to the investigation.

During this period, as the investigation suggests, modern technology played a decisive role, as Ukraine used long-range HIMARS missiles and drones, including small naval drones, to strike strategic Russian targets, with U.S. oversight and intelligence to ensure strike accuracy.

The newspaper noted that the establishment of an "operations center" within Russian territory to allow the use of these weapons was seen as a historic step for direct U.S. involvement on Russian soil, despite reservations regarding targeting limits and preventing attacks on civilians and politically sensitive infrastructure.

Over time, the partnership faced significant political challenges, as the return of President Donald Trump and the threat of a potential rapprochement with Russia weakened the U.S. ability to provide full support to Ukraine, prompting a reevaluation of the elements of the Wiesbaden partnership and the reduction of some forms of direct support, according to the investigation.

Limits of External Support

On another front, the Ukrainian leadership faced difficulties in mobilizing forces, especially due to a shortage of equipment and personnel, at a time when Zelensky demanded quick victories to bolster Western support and morale, creating a disparity between the goals of the Ukrainian government and the actual capabilities of the army, as the investigation recounted.

Despite these challenges, the partnership, according to the newspaper, managed to achieve significant successes, such as liberating Kherson and inflicting heavy losses on Russian forces, damaging weapon depots and the strategic bridge in Kerch, as well as executing precision strikes on distant Russian positions with the help of drones.

These operations demonstrated the limits of the Western alliance's ability to control Ukrainian strategy, as the final decisions regarding attacks and territorial control remained in the hands of Ukrainian leadership, which always created points of tension between the two sides, the New York Times stated.

The investigation concluded that the secret military partnership has been a critical element in Ukraine's resilience against a larger Russian force, enabling the Ukrainian army to achieve strategic gains in the early months of the war, but at the same time revealing the limits of external support when military strategy intersects with domestic politics and differences among allies.

As the war is expected to continue into 2025, the future of Ukraine and the international order in Europe hangs on political decisions that may reshape the balance of power, while the need to strengthen the Ukrainian army and improve coordination with allies continues to be vital in facing Moscow's challenges, according to the newspaper.

Source: The New York Times