WASHINGTON: The US Defense Department on Thursday denied that it provided intelligence on the positions of Russian generals on the battlefield so that Ukrainian forces could kill them.
react to an explosive new York Times report on US support for Ukrainearmy of pentagon spokesman john kirby Said it is true that the United States supplies KyivWith military intelligence “to help the Ukrainians defend their country.”
“We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the Ukrainian military’s targeting decisions,” Kirby said.
In a separate revelation, US media reported later on Thursday that the United States had shared intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva last month, a major blow to the president. Vladimir Putin,
In a story first published by NBC, Anonymous officials said Ukraine asked Washington about a ship sailing in the Black Sea whose location was confirmed by the United States in addition to identifying it as Moskva.
However, the United States did not know that Ukraine would target the lead vessel, officials said.
Ukraine has been particularly successful in attacking Russian command positions, and, according to reports, last week came close to attacking a position near the front lines in the Donbass region, where Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov was about to attack. They were believed to be visiting soldiers.
Unconfirmed reports said Ukrainian forces may have opened fire at the site hours after Gerasimov had left.
The New York Times report Wednesday, citing unnamed senior US officials, which Kirby denied, said that of the nearly dozen Russian generals killed by the Ukrainian military, “many” were targeted with the help of US intelligence. .
The newspaper said the United States had provided details on the Russian military’s mobile headquarters, which change locations frequently.
It was reported that the Ukrainian military used that information in conjunction with itself to carry out attacks on senior Russian officers.
Kirby said Ukraine makes its own decisions whether to target a Russian leader or not.
“Ukraine combines the information we and other partners provide with intelligence that they themselves are gathering on the battlefield,” he said.
“Then they make their own decisions, and they do their own thing.”
The White House’s National Security Council called the New York Times report “irresponsible.”
“The United States provides battlefield intelligence to Ukrainians to help them defend their country,” said NSC spokesman Adrienne Watson.
“We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals.”
Washington is supplying Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of military equipment and munitions and is training its forces on how to operate them.
It is also providing information to Kyiv from satellites, electronic surveillance operations and other sources of intelligence.
But the White House and the Pentagon have sought to limit knowledge of the full extent of US aid, hoping to avoid provoking Russia into a wider conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Nevertheless, Washington’s support for Ukraine has only grown, becoming more apparent, as the Russians invaded on February 24.
The US initially said it only wanted to help Ukraine survive.
But now Washington says its goal in the war is to weaken Russia in the long run.
“We want to see Russia weaken to such an extent that it can’t do the kind of things it did in attacking Ukraine,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after a visit to Kyiv in late April.
react to an explosive new York Times report on US support for Ukrainearmy of pentagon spokesman john kirby Said it is true that the United States supplies KyivWith military intelligence “to help the Ukrainians defend their country.”
“We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the Ukrainian military’s targeting decisions,” Kirby said.
In a separate revelation, US media reported later on Thursday that the United States had shared intelligence that helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva last month, a major blow to the president. Vladimir Putin,
In a story first published by NBC, Anonymous officials said Ukraine asked Washington about a ship sailing in the Black Sea whose location was confirmed by the United States in addition to identifying it as Moskva.
However, the United States did not know that Ukraine would target the lead vessel, officials said.
Ukraine has been particularly successful in attacking Russian command positions, and, according to reports, last week came close to attacking a position near the front lines in the Donbass region, where Russia’s top general Valery Gerasimov was about to attack. They were believed to be visiting soldiers.
Unconfirmed reports said Ukrainian forces may have opened fire at the site hours after Gerasimov had left.
The New York Times report Wednesday, citing unnamed senior US officials, which Kirby denied, said that of the nearly dozen Russian generals killed by the Ukrainian military, “many” were targeted with the help of US intelligence. .
The newspaper said the United States had provided details on the Russian military’s mobile headquarters, which change locations frequently.
It was reported that the Ukrainian military used that information in conjunction with itself to carry out attacks on senior Russian officers.
Kirby said Ukraine makes its own decisions whether to target a Russian leader or not.
“Ukraine combines the information we and other partners provide with intelligence that they themselves are gathering on the battlefield,” he said.
“Then they make their own decisions, and they do their own thing.”
The White House’s National Security Council called the New York Times report “irresponsible.”
“The United States provides battlefield intelligence to Ukrainians to help them defend their country,” said NSC spokesman Adrienne Watson.
“We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals.”
Washington is supplying Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of military equipment and munitions and is training its forces on how to operate them.
It is also providing information to Kyiv from satellites, electronic surveillance operations and other sources of intelligence.
But the White House and the Pentagon have sought to limit knowledge of the full extent of US aid, hoping to avoid provoking Russia into a wider conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.
Nevertheless, Washington’s support for Ukraine has only grown, becoming more apparent, as the Russians invaded on February 24.
The US initially said it only wanted to help Ukraine survive.
But now Washington says its goal in the war is to weaken Russia in the long run.
“We want to see Russia weaken to such an extent that it can’t do the kind of things it did in attacking Ukraine,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after a visit to Kyiv in late April.