Photo: Valery Zaluzhny / Facebook
The Ukrainian defence forces are jointly planning combat operations against Russia together with international partners at a special headquarters in the German city of Wiesbaden. This was reported on 8 April by Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny on his Facebook page.
Headquarters in Wiesbaden is a “secret weapon” of Ukraine
Zaluzhnyi called the centre in Wiesbaden a “secret weapon” for Ukraine and its allies, which allows them to effectively plan operations, conduct war games and formulate weapons needs in accordance with NATO standards.
“This platform has become an excellent mechanism for interacting with our partners on future military operations and formulating requirements for them,” the diplomat said.
History of the headquarters
After the outbreak of full-scale war, Ukraine began receiving a wide range of Western weapons, which created new logistical challenges. In response, a coordination centre was established in April 2022 at the headquarters of the US European Command in Stuttgart.
Subsequently, due to the need for greater coordination, the headquarters moved to Wiesbaden, where it was transformed into a full-fledged operational and logistics centre.
The role of Britain
According to Zaluzhnyi, the idea of the headquarters was implemented thanks to the active support of the UK. Wiesbaden is currently assessing the feasibility of weapons, planning combat operations, and sending requests for equipment to Washington and key European capitals.
Context.
In the summer of 2022, the Allies began to question the effectiveness of some weapons systems. It was then that the idea of creating a joint headquarters came up to help accurately formulate requirements in line with the actual planning of the Armed Forces.
Wiesbaden is an invisible front where international support for Ukraine takes on a strategic form – in the form of precise planning, fast logistics and a joint response to Russian aggression.
