What he says: “The images we saw of Bucha and other cities were tragic, they were scary, they were completely shocking, but it was no surprise,” Sullivan told ABC’s Jonathan Carl.

“In fact, before the war started, we declassified the information and presented it, indicating that there was a plan from the highest levels of the Russian government to target civilians who opposed the invasion, to provoke violence against them,” Sullivan continued. “To organize efforts to mistreat them in order to try to terrorize and subjugate the population. So this is something that was planned.”

The big picture: The International Criminal Court (ICC) last month launched an investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Ukraine, allegations the Kremlin has denied.

Ukrainian prosecutors have opened about 5,600 cases of alleged war crimes since the beginning of the Russian invasion. President Biden said last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be tried for war crimes for allegedly massacring civilians by Russian forces in the Kiev city of Bukha.

It is worth noting: Jeremy Fleming, head of the British intelligence service GCHQ, said last week that Putin’s “Plan B” was more barbaric against civilians and cities.

Sullivan told Carl that “individual soldiers or units were disappointed because the Ukrainians were beating them back” and “told them they were going to have a glorious victory and just drive to Kyiv without any opposition from the Ukrainians welcoming them.” “ “And when that did not happen, I think some of these units were involved in these atrocities, these atrocities, these war crimes even without direction from above,” he added.

The bottom line: “I believe some of these units were involved in these acts of barbarism, these atrocities, these war crimes, even without direction from above,” Sullivan said.

“But make no mistake, the broader issue of large-scale war crimes and atrocities in Ukraine is at the feet of the Kremlin and the Russian president.”

Go deeper: What counts as a war crime and why it is so difficult to prosecute