Marta Gichko12:49, 21.02.26
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, Zaluzhny and the generals were carrying out the last defensive measures, but these actions were also illegal.
On the eve of a large-scale invasion by Russian troops, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba received alarming signals during a visit to Washington. On February 22, American intelligence officials showed him points where “Russian tanks were warming up their engines and waiting to cross the border.”
According to The Guardian , after the meeting with the intelligence officers, Kuleba was invited to an unscheduled meeting with US President Joe Biden. According to Kuleba, the conversation resembled “a conversation between a doctor and a patient” who had an incurable diagnosis.
“When I left the Oval Office, I had the feeling that Biden was saying goodbye to both me and the people of Ukraine,” Kuleba said.
Meanwhile, at the Ukrainian army headquarters, General Valeriy Zaluzhny and senior commanders made final preparations. Mines were laid on the bottom of the Black Sea to prevent a naval landing in Odessa, and units were moved to strategically important areas. As one Ukrainian general noted, such actions were formally prohibited and could lead to criminal cases, but circumstances forced commanders to act.
Ukrainian military intelligence, led by Kirill Budanov, also received the latest information from Western partners about Russian plans to seize the airfield at Gostomel. This information helped develop defensive plans for the last night before the attack, which, while not guaranteeing immediate victory, allowed key positions to be prepared.
(C)UNIAN 2026
A lot of politicians in the world were embarrassed when Ukraine smashed the orcs in the Kyiv region and chased them all the way back to Belarus. They expected Ukraine to rollover like Syria or Chechnya. Not only did Ukraine show the politicians how cowardly they are, they also destroyed the russian superpower myth.
And Ukraine’s imposing bravery fully exposed the West’s enormous cowardice.