Russia 'knew where we were going to attack,' Zelenskyy says in reflection on why Ukraine's big counteroffensive stumbled

• Russia knew where Ukraine's big counteroffensive last year was going to attack, Zelenskyy said Tuesday.
• Ukraine has said its 2023 counteroffensive plans were leaked to Russia before the operation began.
• He told reporters that other reasons, such as a lack of weapons and equipment, also led to unsuccessful results.

Reflecting on the unsuccessful summer 2023 counteroffensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted this week that the operation may have been doomed from the start.

"The Russians knew where we were going to attack," Zelensky said during an interview with Axel Springer media outlets on Tuesday. "How did they know? How did they get this information? I can't tell you that. History will tell."

Zelenskyy had previously said at a press conference in late February that Ukraine's plans were "on the Kremlin's table even before the counteroffensive began."

Around that same time, Ukraine's spy chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told CBC News that he wouldn't elaborate on the issue, but said that they had evidence Russia knew the plans. "It is a serious problem, and we are taking some action," he said.

It remains unclear how widespread that leak may have been, and what other information could've been included. Zelenskyy told Axel Springer media outlets that there are plans for a 2024 counteroffensive. "And this counteroffensive must give us some results," he added.

Back in late February, he said less people know about 2024 plans. "But the fewer people who know the plans of the Ukrainian army, the faster the victory and the unexpected result for the Russians," the Ukrainian president said.

In the interview Tuesday, Zelenskyy pushed back on the conclusion that the 2023 counteroffensive had failed but acknowledged the effort's limitations. "Last year's counteroffensive was not so successful. It's true that we didn't get the result we wanted," he said, adding that there were "many reasons" for this.

Along with Russia learning about Ukraine's plans ahead of time, Zelenskyy said some of the issues were Ukraine's fault. He also said that the troops "were also not "properly equipped."

'Many reasons' for Ukraine's troubled counteroffensive

Kyiv launched its counteroffensive against Russia in June 2023, months later than originally expected, partially due to delays in NATO-provided training and weapons.

Among the issues that resulted in a lack of progress during the counteroffensive include the dearth of experienced soldiers, as many were bogged down in the battle of Bakhmut. Other challenges included Russia's fortified defenses and extensive network of land mines, which slowed forward movement and maimed Ukraine's Western-provided tanks and heavy armor.

Ukraine's counteroffensive sought to push through Zaporizhzhia in southern Ukraine and divide Russian forces near the Sea of Azov, while also fighting eastward towards Donetsk and the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, but none of these efforts were particularly effective.

Ukraine reportedly only took about 200 square miles of territory in 2023. Previous reporting indicated that Ukrainian military leadership wanted a bold counteroffensive in this direction about a year earlier, but Ukraine couldn't get Western partners, the US in particular, to adequately back the plan.

Zelenskyy noted Tuesday that there was a "positive side" to the counteroffensive though. "What we did in the Black Sea, for example. That was positive. We have created an alternative grain corridor in the Black Sea and destroyed many units of the Russian fleet."

"Is all this a great success? On the one hand, no. On the other hand, Ukraine has held out. That's a great success," he said.

That's perhaps one of the most prominent narratives to come out of the war — Ukraine's ability to use unmanned surface vessels to terrorize Russia's ships in the Black Sea. The drones have often sailed out to their targets in the middle of the night, sneaking up on warships and exploding, causing massive damage.

Russia's attempts to stop these drones have been slow and largely ineffective, such as employing machine guns on their ships.

Without a proper navy, Ukraine has relied heavily on its fleet of sea drones. The impact has been, at times, quite impressive, as these cheaper USVs destroy expensive warships and Russian vessels. Ukraine's drones have also been upgraded over time, some carrying larger, more powerful warheads to do more damage.

Part of Zelenskyy's vision for a successful 2024 counteroffensive involves prioritizing infrastructure targets, such as bridges and airports, and namely, the Kerch Bridge.

"We want it very much," he said when asked about destroying the bridge this year.

The 12-mile-long Kerch Bridge has long been a target for Ukraine. Finished in 2018, it was seen as a landmark by Russian President Vladimir Putin, a physical connector between the Russian mainland and occupied Crimea. It previously served as a route for Russia to transport equipment before its February 2022 invasion.

Ukraine has targeted the bridge repeatedly. In October 2022, for instance, a bomb-laden truck exploded, causing severe damage that closed traffic for normal vehicles until February 2023 and railway traffic until May 2023.

And then in July 2023, another attack rocked the roadbed of the bridge. Afterwards, Russia started sinking ships in the area around the bridge to prevent sea drones from navigating to it.

But Zelenskyy also said it wasn't just about that specific target, but rather other sites that help Russia sustain its war effort.

"It's not just the Kerch Bridge that everyone is talking about," the Ukrainian leader said. "It's about some infrastructure objects that are a military target. It's about the bridge, it's about airports from which planes take off. There are bridges through which weapons are delivered. Airports from which planes take off and bomb us. These are legitimate targets. Not to mention that they are in the occupied territories of Ukraine."