British newspaper The Times disclosed close aides of Russian President Vladimir Putin initially planned and pushed for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Times reported in an online article on Thursday that three men in Putin's closest circle, as well as Putin himself, played a central role in leading Russia to war.

The Times says the three are the chairman of the Russia's Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Federal Security Service, Aleksandr Bortnikov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

It says Patrushev and Bortnikov were the prime political movers.

The article notes that by midsummer of 2021, three plans had been discussed. They were "the creation of a pair of Georgia-style mini-states in Donbas, a Crimea-style annexation or a full-scale strike to decapitate the Zelenskyy government altogether and install a puppet, pro-Moscow regime."

But by late summer, Patrushev and Bortnikov decided in principle that an invasion was necessary, and all that remained was to persuade Putin to launch the operation.

The article describes Shoigu as being "the sometimes hesitant executor."

It notes despite military preparations kicking into high gear, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov would not know until the very eve of the operation the plans would include an attack of Kyiv.

It also writes Putin's advanced age meant that time was running out to find a decisive solution to the "West's aggression," and that meant they needed to quickly deal once and for all with the problem of Ukraine.