US official: we gave intel before Ukraine sank Russian warship Moskva
- US has provided ‘a range of intelligence’ to Ukraine, including the location of Russian ships on the Black Sea
- Ukraine decided on its own to use that information to target the Moskva warship in April, a US official said
The US says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva before the strike that sank the warship, a high-profile embarrassment for Russia’s military, but the Pentagon denied on Friday that it played a direct role in the strike.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said in a statement that the US “did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information for the Moskva”, although he acknowledged that the US and allies routinely share intelligence with Ukraine.
“We were not involved in the Ukrainians’ decision to strike the ship or in the operation they carried out,” he added. “We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s intent to target the ship.”
The Ukrainians attacked the warship – loaded with military supplies and artillery – on April 14, with land-based anti-ship missiles. It is still unclear how many casualties resulted from the attack.
After the attack, Moscow claimed that the ship sank due to a fire on board.
An American official said on Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
