The West and NATO, led by the United States of America, were directly involved in planning a surprise Ukrainian attack on the Russian Kursk region.
This was stated today by the influential adviser of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Patrushev.
The lightning incursion into Russia was carried out on August 6, when thousands of Ukrainian soldiers crossed Russia's western border in an operation that is considered a major embarrassment for Putin's army, reports Reuters.
Ukraine claims the invasion was necessary to force Russia to start "fair" peace talks.
However, the US and other Western powers, keen to avoid a direct military confrontation with Russia, claim that Ukraine did not notify them in advance and that Washington was not involved, although weapons provided by Great Britain and the US are said to have been used on Russian soil.
Patrushev rejected those claims in an interview with the newspaper Izvestija.
"The operation in the Kursk region was also planned with the participation of NATO and Western special services," he said, without providing evidence.
He assessed that without their participation and direct support, Kyiv would not have dared to enter Russian territory.
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