U.S. provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink Russian warship

The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-dayold war, according to people familiar with the matter.

The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.

Despite providing intelligence on the Moskva, the United States had “no prior awareness” of Ukraine’s decision to strike the warship, a U.S. official said. The official noted that the U.S. government shares maritime awareness with Ukraine to help the nation defend against threats. Russian vessels in the Black Sea have been launching missiles at Ukraine — and could be used to support an amphibious assault on the country, the official said.

Military analysts and experts have praised the Ukrainian military’s strength and ingenuity as it repels a larger Russian force that many believed was more sophisticated and technically superior. But the U.S. intelligence has also given the Ukrainian forces a significant advantage, allowing them to locate Russian forces, equipment, and command and control centers.

Absent the intelligence from the United States, Ukraine would have struggled to target the warship with the confidence necessary to expend two valuable Neptune missiles, which were in short supply, according to the people familiar with the strike, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. NBC News first reported that the United States had provided intelligence on the Moskva.

Since before the war began, the Biden administration has treated the issue of intelligence-sharing with Ukraine as extremely sensitive. Officials have insisted they only provide assistance that helps Ukraine defend itself, worried that Russia could view the provision of information used in attacks as a justification for retaliating directly against the United States and its allies.

“Ukraine combines information that we and others provide with intelligence they’re gathering themselves ... and then they make their own decisions,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday in response to a New York Times report that U.S. intelligence had helped Ukraine target Russian generals in the field.

“We do provide them useful intelligence, timely intelligence,” Kirby added, but he did not detail what that is or how it has been exploited.