Intelligence shared by the US helped Ukraine sinking the Russian cruiser Moskva, US officials told NBC News, confirming a US role in perhaps the most embarrassing blow to Vladimir Putin’s troubled invasion of Ukraine.
A guided missile cruiser carrying a crew of 510, the Moskva was the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. She sank on April 14 after being rammed by two Ukrainian Neptunes. anti-ship missilesUS officials said. Moscow said the ship sank after a fire. The Moskva was the largest Russian warship sunk in combat since World War II. US officials said there were significant Russian casualties, but they don’t know how many.
The attack occurred after Ukrainian forces questioned the Americans about a ship sailing in the Black Sea south of Odessa, US officials told NBC News. The United States identified it as the Moskva, officials said, and helped confirm her location, after which the Ukrainians attacked the ship.
The United States did not know in advance that Ukraine was going to attack Moskva, officials said, and was not involved in the decision to attack. Maritime intelligence is shared with Ukraine to help it defend against attacks by Russian ships, the officials added.
The role of the United States in the sinking has not been previously reported. But NBC News detailed last month how US intelligence shared with Ukraine had been instrumental in Ukraine’s successes to date, including in helping Ukraine attack Russian forces and prevent Russian attacks.
US officials have expressed concern that reporting on US intelligence sharing with Ukraine could anger Putin and provoke an unpredictable response.
The White House did not immediately provide NBC News with a comment.
The revelation about Moskva comes on the heels of reporting by The New York Times that intelligence shared by the US had in some cases helped Ukraine kill Russian generals. US officials did not dispute this, but strongly rejected the impression that the US was providing information explicitly with the intention of attacking Russian military leaders.
“We do not provide intelligence on the location of major military leaders on the battlefield,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, adding that the United States shares intelligence with Ukrainian forces but does not tell them. tells who or what to attack.
Current US policy expressly prohibits the sharing of lethal target intelligence on Russian civilian and military leaders, two US officials familiar with the matter told NBC News.
The Moskva was considered Russia’s deadliest warship, packed with cannons and missile systems, some of which were designed to defend her from attack. The credible account that she was hit and sunk by anti-ship missiles was widely seen as a profound humiliation for the Russian military.
In the early days of the war, the Moskva was part of what became an iconic incident, when officers on board ordered Ukrainian border guards on Ukraine’s Snake Island to surrender.
“Russian warship, fuck you,” the guards replied.
They were captured and later released in a prisoner exchange.
The sinking of the Moskva has reignited a long-standing debate among naval experts about how vulnerable the ships are to kamikaze missiles and drones.
The Russian Navy subsequently withdrew from the Ukrainian coast, US defense officials told NBC News.
Reference-news.yahoo.com