The United States provided intelligence that helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink a Russian warship, officials say.
Summary
The United States provided intelligence that helped Ukraine kill Russian generals and sink the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, officials say.
- According to the New York Times, American intelligence about Russian units has helped Ukraine target and kill many of the twelve Russian generals who’ve been killed on the front lines since the war began.
- The reports that the US provided intelligence on Russian generals and the Moskva is a “sign that the administration is easing its self-imposed limitations on how far it will go in helping Ukraine fight Russia.”
- Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby acknowledged that the US gave Ukraine intelligence about the Moskva’s location, but denied any direct American role in the attack on the Russian warship.
- The US did identify the Moskva upon Ukraine’s request, but it’s unclear whether the US knew Ukraine would attack the ship.
- The reports come as the US government increases its financial support for Ukraine. President Joe Biden requested Congress provide an additional $33 billion in “military, economic, and humanitarian assistance” for Ukraine.
- The Washington Post emphasized the strike on the Moskva “may not have been possible” without US help and American assistance is giving Ukraine a “significant advantage” in its 71-day-long conflict with Russia.
- CNN covered the latest news out of Ukraine, where the battle of Mariupol continues to rage and civilians are being evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant.
- Politico accused the Biden administration of “treating the public like morons.” The author wrote, the Biden administration’s denials “won’t convince the reading public that the U.S. isn’t deliberately hurrying the deaths of Russian generals…it will only reinforce the common knowledge that official government statements are frequently formulated to dupe you.”
- Commentary asked if “the West abandoned restraint in its proxy war with Russia?” and argued Russian weakness has “imbued Ukraine’s Western benefactors with the confidence they needed to act boldly in Kyiv’s defense.”
- National Review covered the “global crisis you’re not hearing about:” the global shortage of wheat and corn caused by Russia’s invasion which has disrupted Ukrainian agriculture production.
- The Washington Examiner provided more background on the significance of the Moskva to the Russian military. Current US policy “prohibits the transfer of intelligence intended for lethal attacks.”
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© Dominic Moore, 2022
