Intelligence provided by the U.S. helped Ukrainians sink Russian ship Moskva

CBS ^ | May 5, 2022 | Eleanor Watson, David Martin

[Doofer]

Intelligence provided by the U.S. helped the Ukrainians sink the Russian Moskva in April, according to a senior defense official. The U.S. shared the location of the Moskva in the Black Sea with the Ukrainians but had no role in the decision to strike it, the official said.

Without providing specifics, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters Thursday that the U.S. has been providing Ukraine useful battlefield intelligence throughout the war as Ukraine defends itself – but Kirby said the Pentagon does not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield or participate in the targeting decisions of the Ukrainian military.

"Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intelligence that they themselves are gathering on the battlefield, and then they make their own decisions and take their own actions," Kirby said. FILE PHOTO: A Russian missile cruiser "Moskva" is anchored near Mumbai The Russian guided missile cruiser "Moskva," flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, is seen anchored near Mumbai, India in a May 21, 2003 file photo. Roy Madhur/REUTERS

Ukrainian forces struck the Moskva with two Neptune anti-ship missiles. The strike caused a large fire and the eventual sinking of the ship on April 14.

Kirby said in April that the cruiser was about 600 feet long and had a crew of roughly 500 sailors. The Pentagon assessed that at least some of the crewmembers evacuated to other Russian naval ships but it's unclear how many Russians suffered casualties.

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.

[Bulwyf]

They don’t care if we die, heck, they want it. They can be as reckless as they like.