Pentagon denies ‘indicating’ news for Ukraine to sink the Moskva ship

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby on May 5 said: “We did not provide Ukraine with specific targeting information on the Moskva. We have nothing to do with Ukraine’s decision to attack the ship or carry out any operations. We had no prior knowledge of Ukraine’s intention to target the ship.”

“The Ukrainians have their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case,” he said. Mr. John Kirby added.

The AP news agency on May 5 quoted an unnamed US official as saying that Washington shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the cruiser Moskva, before the ship was attacked and sunk. Also according to AP, US intelligence also provided information about the activities of many other warships of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea.

Ukraine previously claimed to have attacked the ship with two Neptune anti-ship missiles in mid-April. Meanwhile, Russian authorities said, the ship caught fire in its ammunition depot and sank when it encountered bad weather on the way back to the ship. safety.

The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed that 1 soldier was killed and 27 members of the ship were missing in the sinking of the flagship; The remaining 396 crew members were evacuated.

Washington is currently providing weapons and military equipment worth billions of dollars to Kiev and training its forces on how to operate. In addition, it also provides Ukraine with information obtained from satellites, electronic surveillance and other intelligence sources.

However, the White House and Pentagon have sought to limit disclosure of the full extent of US support, apparently to avoid provoking Russia into a broader conflict beyond Ukraine’s borders.

Meanwhile, Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine has entered phase 2, focusing on the Donbass region. One of the key fronts is said to be the city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces are spending their last entrenched efforts inside the Azovstal steel plant.

Russian media have suggested that Moscow’s control of Mariupol – a strategically located and predominantly Russian-speaking city – will be a symbolic victory to be expected during the campaign, especially as Russia is preparing equipment for Victory Day Celebrations 9/5.

In the midst of fierce fighting in the city, evacuation efforts are still underway.