Intelligence shared by the U.S. helped Ukraine sink the Russian cruiser Moskva, U.S. officials told NBC News, confirming an American 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. It sank on April 14 after being struck by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles, U.S. officials said. Moscow said the vessel sank after a fire. The Moskva was the largest Russian warship sunk in combat since World War II. American officials said there were significant Russian casualties, but they don’t know how many.
According to the officials, who spoke with NBC News on the condition of anonymity, Ukrainian forces had asked their American counterparts for information about a ship south of Odesa, in the Black Sea.
The US shared with Ukraine that the ship was indeed the Moskva and helped secure its exact location, according to the report.
The Ukrainians attacked the warship — loaded with military supplies and artillery — on April 14, striking and sinking the Moskva with anti-ship missiles. It’s still unclear how many casualties resulted from the attack.
After the attack, Moscow had claimed that the ship sank due to a fire on board.
Officials who spoke with NBC News told the outlet that the US was not aware that Ukrainian officials would strike the ship.
According to the AP, the US has been strengthening its intel support for Ukraine throughout the war, removing red tape for what can be shared around geography and offering more minute-by-minute updates.
The sinking of the Moskva was another embarrassment for Russian forces, who have shown an inability so far to reach their goals in the war in Ukraine. More than 70 days into the invasion, the Russian progress is still described by the Pentagon as slow, incremental, and uneven.
The lack of progress is in part due to the stiff Ukrainian resistance, the aid flowing from Western countries like the U.S,and the incorporation of intelligence the U.S. and allies are providing.
The Kremlin has not publicly acknowledged the sinking, which resulted in an unknown number of sailors killed or missing.
On May 4, the Times reported that U.S. officials had provided Ukraine details on the Russian military’s mobile headquarters. Ukrainian forces used that information to help target Russian officers.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on May 5 it was true that the United States supplied Kyiv’s forces with military intelligence.
But he added that”We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.”
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