Controversial ex-CIA analyst details how US devised a project to 'destabilise Ukraine and provoke Russia' which failed miserably

A controversial YouTuber, who was also a former CIA analyst, has claimed the Ukraine war was the result of a US project aimed at destabilising Ukraine and thereby provoking Russia into a war. The allegations were made by Larry Johnson, who served the agency almost three decades ago, on a YouTube channel 'Deep Dive' by Daniel Davis, on Wednesday.

Johnson said the US project was aimed at destabilising the situation in Ukraine to provoke Russia and inflict a military defeat on it. But, the US couldn't achieve what it wanted, Johnson alleged in his video, which has so far crossed 12,000 views in just under 12 hours.

"We started all this. We created all the conditions for provocation and the beginning of the conflict to weaken Russia. We hoped that Russia would lose and remain in our sphere of influence, and would not get closer to China," he said. 

Johnson also explained how Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy couldn't achieve what he set out to do. "He won the election, claiming he was going to resolve the conflict in Donbas and achieve peace. Ukrainians voted for this. But, he became a hostage of right-wing radicals. From that moment on, continuous provocations began. This was the Pentagon's plan. The only problem was that we made too many assumptions about the Russian economy and army," Johnson concluded.

He alleged that Zelenkyy played a huge role in carrying out the provocations by repeatedly violating the Minsk agreements, among other things.

Johnson had earlier too praised Russia in the conflict, a stance often highlighted by the Ukrainian media. So much so that leading Russian daily RIA Novosti published as many as 400 articles citing Johnson's statement between August 1, 2023, to September 12, 2024.

Johnson had earlier praised Vladimir Putin for his "admirable self-control". Commenting on the pace of progress in the Ukraine peace talks, Johnson said he admired Putin's patience and "his ability to withstand this clown show." 

Last April, Johnson stated on his YouTube channel that by the "end of summer, maybe sooner," Ukraine would lose the war to Russia and the Ukrainian city of Odesa would come under Moscow’s control.

Not just RIA Novosti, but even other media sources have published hundreds of articles citing Johnson, including his claims that "Zelensky very well could be ousted in a coup within the next three to four weeks because of the great disgruntlement among troops on the eastern front."

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