Part of the interview with Vladimir Zelensky, where journalists asked about contacts of Ukrainian intelligence with Yevgeny Prigozhin, was removed from The Washington Post website. The BBC Russian Service drew attention to this.

Part of an interview with Vladimir Zelensky was removed from the website of The Washington Post, in which journalists asked questions about the contacts of Ukrainian intelligence with the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The conversation of a group of journalists with the President of Ukraine took place on May 1 and was published on the 13th. The BBC Russian Service found that earlier on the website of the American edition there was a more complete transcript of this interview, it was preserved in the web archive.

In particular, the Washington Post journalist's question about whether Ukrainian intelligence really maintains covert contacts with Yevgeny Prigozhin has disappeared from the current version of the interview. To this, Zelensky replied: “This is a matter of military intelligence. Do you want me to be convicted of treason? And therefore it is very interesting if someone says that you have documents or if someone from our government talks about the activities of our intelligence. I would also like to ask you: what sources in Ukraine do you contact? Who talks about the activities of our intelligence? After all, this is the most serious crime in our country. What Ukrainians do you talk to?”

The journalists assured Zelensky that their questions were based on information from the leaked Pentagon documents, and that they had not spoken to any Ukrainian officials about this. They then said that on February 13, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, informed Zelensky about a Russian plan to destabilize Moldova with the help of two former employees of the Wagner PMC.

“Budanov told you that the Russian plan could be used to expose Prigozhin, adding that “we (Ukrainian intelligence – Kholod’s note) are dealing with him.” You instructed Budanov to inform Moldovan President Maia Sandu, and Budanov told you that the GUR told Prigozhin that he could be declared a traitor working for Ukraine. The document also states that Budanov expected the Russians to use information about Prigozhin's secret negotiations with the GUR and his meetings with the GUR officers in Africa, ”the journalists of The Washington Post said.

The President of Ukraine replied that he did not understand where the journalists got this information from. “It looks like you have people who have some kind of record, or you have proof, or you have something, because that's what it looks like. You are doing again, I beg your pardon, what you did before. You publish some information that does not help our state. So I don't quite understand what you are talking about. I don't quite understand your purpose. Is your goal to help Russia? I mean, it means that we have different goals. Each of these questions simply demotivates Ukraine, demotivates certain partners to help Ukraine. Well, anyway, I just don’t understand your goal,” Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian president noted that The Washington Post journalists did not study the papers leaked from the Pentagon and published by Jack Teixeira on Discord, but specifically obtained some documents that are referred to in a conversation with him.

“They [documents] were not on the Internet, they were part of something. We, a normal society, did not have access to all this. And then, I think, information began to come out, which they began to publish partially and everything else. I think it's yours - or your editorial board or anyone else ... I don't want to offend anyone, I don't know. Therefore, you post this information in parts. You publish information about the counter-offensive of Ukraine, about that, about the other. I told you that I think that this is - how to put it - someone heard something somewhere, someone published something somewhere, but the information was compiled, and it is different and does not work for the benefit of Ukraine "Zelensky said.

The Ukrainian authorities insist that they are not conducting any negotiations with Russia. The only exception is the question of the exchange of prisoners.

Sources: The Washington Post , The Washington Post Web Archive , BBC Russian Service

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