Vladimir Putin postponed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine at least three times, but Russia's Federal Security Service insisted, according to Ukraine's deputy intelligence chief Vadym Skibitskyi.
"We have information that Putin put off the invasion three times, following the discussion with Russia's Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu and the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov," Skibitskyi said in his interview with Bild.
However, the Federal Security Service convinced Putin that everything was ready for a successful invasion and urged him to make the final decision in February 2022, according to Skibitskyi.
"Russian forces had food, ammunition, and fuel for a three-day offensive only, which shows how much they miscalculated. They fail to encircle the capital Kyiv and had no resources to occupy Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kharkiv," Skibitskyi added.
After eight years of military aggression against Ukraine, which started with the annexation of Crimea and occupation of parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in eastern Ukraine, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
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