Zaluzhnyi proposed to advance on Belgorod: adviser to the former commander-in-chief revealed details.

The adviser to the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Viktor Nazarov, reported that Zaluzhnyi suggested an advance on the Belgorod region of Russia back in 2022. This plan was implemented in 2024 during the Kursk operation. Nazarov shared this in an interview with BBC Ukraine.

According to Nazarov, the idea of advancing on Belgorod was proposed by Zaluzhnyi at one of the NSDC meetings.

According to the plan proposed by the former commander-in-chief, the first step was to stabilize the front line in Donbas without conducting active offensive actions. Then, operations to strike targets in Crimea and deep into Russia, including energy facilities, were to be carried out.

After that, it was planned to shift hostilities to the territory of Russia - at the junction of the Kursk and Belgorod regions. It was also proposed to encircle or block Belgorod to deprive the Russians of the opportunity to attack Kharkiv and create a supply threat for the Russian grouping in Donbas.

When asked why this operation was not realized, Nazarov replied that it was likely a political issue.

According to him, Zaluzhnyi's proposals in 2022 did not interest anyone, but some of them are now being implemented in Kursk.

Nazarov assessed the Kursk operation as successful and noted that it was conducted according to all military standards, as it was kept secret and caught the enemy by surprise.

The plan for the development of the advance on Belgorod has been approved

Earlier, Zaluzhnyi named the reason for the worsening situation at the front.

Zaluzhnyi's book 'My War' is dedicated to events before February 24, 2022. In the book, the general writes that Russia began deploying troops for an invasion of Ukraine since 2020. He also notes that by 2021, the smell of a great war was already felt, as Russia had been preparing for it a year earlier.

The Times newspaper outlined four scenarios for the end of the war in Ukraine, including the death of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukrainian troops advanced in Kursk and restored positions in Toretsk. The occupiers managed to push in the direction of Borova, Pokrovske, and Kurakhove.