Before the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia believed that they could quickly suppress resistance in Ukraine, including in Kharkiv. They intended to capture it swiftly and without resistance.
Kyrylo Budanov, the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, revealed this information in the first part of the documentary project "A Year. Kharkiv Region."
"They actually believed that Kharkiv was a Russian city just waiting for liberators. That's the real truth," said Kyrylo Budanov.
He talked about a meeting of Moscow's military and political leaders that took place shortly before the invasion of Ukraine.
"Two weeks before the start of all these events, there was an interesting meeting where they once again began to discuss whether everything was ready for the full-scale invasion. There was a certain uncertainty about whether people there were eagerly waiting for Russian soldiers. And the question was raised: where did all the money go for so many years? At the next meeting, everyone said: you know, everything is ready there, we need to go in," added the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, mentioning that the vast sums of money allocated for preparing for a major war against Ukraine were simply embezzled by the Russians.
According to Kyrylo Budanov, most of the reconnaissance conducted by the aggressor was done from the air, which is why the defenders of Kharkiv employed certain tricks, such as setting up mannequins with rifles.
"Most of the reconnaissance [by the Russians] was done through aerial and space reconnaissance. It's understandable that it's quite difficult from above to distinguish whether it's a live person or a mannequin. Such tricks are also widely used today," explained the head of Ukrainian intelligence.
He also explained the necessity of positioning Ukrainian forces in residential areas during the defense of Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities.
"I'm generally surprised that someone needs to explain this to our society. According to this logic, one would have to leave residential areas. You could go out into open fields, but the Russians would enter the city. In that case, they will accomplish their task for sure. No, this is absolutely the wrong logic. [...] This is called 'urban warfare.' This is war. There's no other way," emphasized Kyrylo Budanov.
