The world was surprised by Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s Kursk region last week, but a Russian politician said the country’s military knew about it a month before the planned invasion.
“But the order came from the very top not to panic, and that those up there knew better,” Andrey Gurulyov, a member of the State Duma and retired major general, told military expert Vladislav Shurygin in a television interview broadcast on August 8, according to a translation from The New York Times.
The Russian military, Gurulev said, was informed about Ukraine’s plans for Kursk about a month ago.
The former army officer said the military leadership had received an intelligence report warning of an impending Ukrainian attack.
On August 6, Ukraine launched a shock offensive in the Kursk region. The complex surprise attack was a major success for the embattled country, which had been on the defensive after Congress delayed more than $60 billion in aid payments.
After months of back and forth, the law to help Ukraine was finally passed in April.
On Monday, Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyi said they had captured nearly 400 square miles of Russian territory in just a few days, roughly the amount of Ukrainian territory Russia has captured this year.
This is not the first time that Gurulev has sharply criticized the Russian military leadership for its poor strategy and incompetence on the battlefield.
In September, Gurulev said in a Telegram message that the military was using lies and false reports to downplay Ukraine’s successes during its failed counteroffensive against Russia.
“Only one serious problem separates us from victory: lies. Yes, they are less widespread than at the beginning of the special military operation, but they are there,” wrote Gurulev, using a euphemism for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“False reports unfortunately lead to bad decisions on many levels. They exist, so let’s admit them and fight them, otherwise it will be a disaster,” he added.
Representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider sent outside of regular business hours.
