The Pentagon denied information about the transfer of data to Kiev about the cruiser "Moscow"
CNN, citing sources, reported that the United States provided intelligence that helped Ukraine attack the Russian military cruiser "Moscow". At the same time, the article noted that the Americans do not share information with the Ukrainian military about potential targets inside Russia itself, as well as about the whereabouts of specific Russian military leaders.
"Provided intelligence about his whereabouts"
"When Ukraine successfully attacked a valuable Russian warship with anti-ship cruise missiles last month, the United States gave it some help. The Ukrainian forces, noticing a Russian warship in the Black Sea, called their American contacts to confirm that it was indeed "Moscow". The US responded in the affirmative and provided intelligence on his whereabouts," sources familiar with the events told CNN.
The article says that it is still unclear whether the United States knew about Ukraine's intention to strike the ship. It is also noted with reference to sources that the United States "did not participate in making this decision."
The authors of the material claim that the ship "sank after two Ukrainian cruise missiles hit it on April 14, which dealt a serious blow to the Russian military."
"This episode ... reflects the increasingly progressive position of the Biden administration when it comes to intelligence sharing with Ukraine, which is part of a broader political shift aimed at helping Ukraine decisively defeat Russia on the battlefield and significantly weaken its armed forces," the article says.
The article also raises the question of where the "red lines" are between the United States and Russia regarding military support for Ukraine.
"The United States has been providing Ukrainian forces with intelligence on the movements of Russian troops inside Ukraine for several months, including intercepted messages about Russian military plans. They (The United States - "Newspaper.En") also provide Ukraine with information about their maritime data to allow them to better understand the threat posed by Russian ships in the Black Sea, many of which launch missiles at the territory of Ukraine," the CNN article notes.
At the same time, the channel's sources stressed that for US intelligence "there are clear restrictions" on what data they are ready to provide.
"For example, the United States has so far refused to provide Ukraine with information about potential targets inside Russia itself. And although the intelligence that the United States shares about the movements of Russian troops inside Ukraine may include details such as vehicles and types of personnel in a certain place, the United States has not provided Ukraine with intelligence on the whereabouts of specific Russian military leaders," the sources explained.
The article recalled: earlier, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters that the United States does not provide "intelligence on the whereabouts of high-ranking military leaders on the battlefield and does not participate in decision-making by the Ukrainian military on targeting."
He added that "Ukraine combines the information" provided by the Americans and other partners, "with intelligence that they themselves collect on the battlefield, and then make their own decisions and take their own actions."
"Ukrainians have their own capabilities in the field of intelligence to track and target Russian warships, which happened in this case (with the cruiser "Moscow" - "Newspaper.Ru")," Kirby said.
On April 20, The Times reported that an American Boeing P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft was patrolling the Black Sea shortly before the Russian cruiser Moskva sank.
According to the British publication, the P-8 with the code AE681B took off from the US Navy air base in Sicily and reached the Black Sea coast of Romania in the afternoon. At 16:27 Moscow time, he disappeared from radar near the Romanian city of Valea-Nucarilor, about 30 kilometers from the land border with Ukraine. The plane was not tracked for the next almost three hours. On the radar, he reappeared at 19:23 in the same area where he was seen earlier. After 19 minutes, the P-8 disappeared again, and after 42 minutes it reappeared near the Romanian city of Abrud, from where it flew back to base. And soon the first reports of damage on the cruiser "Moscow" were received.
Fire on the cruiser "Moscow"
On the night of April 14, the Russian Defense Ministry reported a fire on the cruiser "Moscow". According to the ministry, ammunition detonated due to a fire on board, the fire was soon localized, and the explosions stopped. However, the cruiser was seriously damaged. The crew was evacuated.
Then the Ministry reported that the cruiser sank during towing as a result of the damage to the hull and in "stormy sea conditions". 396 crew members were evacuated, but one person was killed, another 27 were missing "during the struggle for the survivability of the ship."
The flagship cruiser of the Black Sea Fleet "Moscow" was laid on the slipway of the Nikolaev Shipyard in 1976 with the original name "Glory". In 1979, it was launched. In 1999, he was relocated to Sevastopol. In 2008, the cruiser participated in Russia's operation in South Ossetia, aimed at "forcing the Georgian authorities to peace," and from September 2015 to January 2016, the Moskva covered the air bases of the Russian Hmeimim Air Force in Syria from the sea direction.
Maria Shustrova
