The head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, denied his statements about the alleged “Russiaʼs preparation for an offensive from three directions at once” in 2023. They noted that the politicianʼs words were twisted.
Diana Davityan, Umerovʼs adviser, told Babel about this in a comment.
The American edition The Daily Beast published an interview with Umerov, in which he allegedly reported that the Russians were preparing to attack from three directions at once: from the east and south of Ukraine, as well as from Belarus, and that in this way they wanted to surround the Ukrainian troops.
Subsequently, Umerovʼs statements about the attack from three sides began to be spread by the Ukrainian mass media, as well as Russian propaganda Telegram channels and media.
Umerov emphasizes that he did not make any predictions.
“When speaking with The Daily Beast reporter, no plans, scenarios, possible dates or directions of attack were indicated. It was about the fact that we have been at war for 9 years and that for 10 months in a row the Ukrainians have been repelling Russian attacks from three different directions,” they emphasized.
After the outcry, the press service of the State Property Fund contacted The Daily Beast and corrected the text of the interview.
Rustem Umyerov headed the State Property Fund of Ukraine in September 2022. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he joined the Ukrainian delegation at the negotiations with Russia, but since March these delegations have effectively stopped working. Umerov is currently helping with the release of Ukrainian prisoners of war.