Ukraine war: Captured Russian documents reveal Moscow’s 10-day plan to take over the country and kill its leaders | World News
A British defense and security think tank has revealed details of Moscow’s pre-invasion plans for Ukraine, based on seized Russian documents that appear to have been signed by Vladimir Putin.
Russia planned to take over Ukraine more than 10 days and merged it in August this year, the Royal Research Institute for Defense and Security (RUSI) said.
Only a small group of Russian officials know of the full scale of the plan, according to the British Army-linked consultancy.
It said that even the deputy commanders of branches in the Russian army did not know about the plan to invade and occupy Ukraine until a few days before the invasion began, and that tactical military units did not recognize the plan. ordered until a few hours earlier.
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The documents also reveal that Russia planned to take over Ukraine’s power plants, airports, water supplies, central bank and parliament – and Russian special agencies tasked with killing Ukrainian leader.
RUSI said it appeared to assume that Ukrainian government officials would “run away or be arrested due to the speed of the invasion”.
The Ukrainian intelligence community also believes that Russia planned to use Belarus’ airborne amphibious units to capture the Rivne and Khmelnytsky nuclear power plants.
The invasion plan is believed to have detailed a plot to take over Ukraine’s nuclear power plants to provide shelter for the Russian military, gain control of the country’s energy system and potentially threaten the neighboring countries. European countries about the risk of radioactive contamination.
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RUSI said Russia planned to begin the invasion with a “large-scale missile and air campaign” against Ukrainian military targets.
It added that Moscow would not target critical infrastructure such as power plants and railways as these are key to their plans to occupy the country.
Russia’s ‘kill list’
Russia’s counterintelligence service has compiled a list of several Ukrainians, RUSI said.
They are divided into four categories:
- People who should be killed
- Those in need of repression and intimidation
- Those deemed neutral should be encouraged to collaborate
- People who are prepared to collaborate.
Officials planned to register the population through house-to-house sweeps and screening camps, the advisory organization said.
Russia is also said to have planned for the coercive cooperation of regional governors and local authorities, and the FSB has been tasked with arresting local officials.
Over time, it planned to bring in teachers and other officials from Russia to begin “re-education of Ukrainians”.
