Mykola Patrushev. Photo: Reuters / Sputnik

Mykola Patrushev, the former chairman of Russia’s Security Council and one of Vladimir Putin’s most influential allies, has made serious accusations against NATO, claiming that the West was involved in planning the Ukrainian operation in the Kursk region. This happened against the background of statements by the United States, which rejected any involvement in Ukraine’s military actions on Russian territory, Reuters reports.

“The operation in the Kursk region was planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services,” Patrushev said in an interview with “Izvestia”.

Ukraine first introduced its regular troops into Russian territory on August 6, carrying out a surprise invasion of the Kursk region. Western allies of Ukraine, including the United States, claim that they were not informed of the plans for this operation, but Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Zelenskyi, hinted that such actions could hardly have taken place without consultations with Western partners.

The press secretary of the White House, Karin Jean-Pierre, emphasized that the US did not participate in the planning of the operation. “Absolutely not,” she said in response to reporters’ questions.

According to the New York Times, the invasion of the Kursk region was planned in the strictest secrecy by the General Staff of Ukraine. Only a limited circle of commanders knew about the operation, and even the soldiers were informed of the start of the attack only a day before it was carried out.

These events took place against the background of Ukraine’s active preparations for a major offensive, which, according to Ukrainian leaders, was supposed to liberate the occupied territories. However, the direction of Kyiv’s actions remained under a strict veil of secrecy, which caused tension and speculation on the part of the Russian authorities.