"Ukraine Attempts Assassination of Top Russian Military Commander Despite US Objections"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Yuri] The New York Times (NYT) reported that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Valery Gerasimov, the top commander of the Russian military, despite U.S. objections.

According to the NYT on the 18th (local time), U.S. government officials had intercepted information that Chief of General Staff Gerasimov was scheduled to visit the front lines but did not share this with Ukraine. This was due to concerns that an attack on Gerasimov by Ukraine could escalate into a war between the U.S. and Russia.

Ukraine learned of Gerasimov's front-line visit schedule through other channels, and after internal discussions, the U.S. unusually requested Ukraine to cancel the attack on Gerasimov. However, the newspaper reported that the U.S. only received a response from Ukraine that the operation had already begun.

Ultimately, Ukraine carried out an airstrike against Chief of General Staff Gerasimov, who was visiting the front lines, resulting in the deaths of dozens of soldiers, but Gerasimov was not among the casualties. However, reports emerged that Gerasimov sustained shrapnel wounds from the attack.

At the time, the NYT reported, based on confirmation from multiple sources, that Ukraine's airstrike was carried out without assistance from U.S. intelligence agencies. The U.S. generally prohibits providing Ukraine with information about high-ranking Russian leaders.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.