The Pentagon is pushing back against reports that it provided intelligence to Ukraine that allowed them to target the unusually high number of Russian generals who have been killed on the front lines since the invasion began eight weeks ago.
Officials in Kyiv claim they have launched fatal strikes against at least 12 of Russia’s senior military brass in the Ukraine theater.
The New York Times said the targeting assistance is part of an effort by the Biden administration to provide “real-time” battlefield intelligence to Ukraine. The help reportedly includes identifying the location of the Russian military’s mobile headquarters in Ukraine and providing intercepted communications that alert Ukrainian officials to the presence of senior Russian officers.
But with U.S. officials, sensitive to any suggestion of a direct clash between Russian and Western forces in the Ukraine fight, denied that was the case Thursday.
“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,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Thursday.
The U.S. government says it is providing Kyiv with “timely” and “useful” intelligence to help in its fight against Russia.
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The Biden administration has sought to keep much of its battlefield intelligence operations in Ukraine secret out of a fear that it could be seen as provoking an escalation by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Military officials have said one of the goals of the operation is to see Russia “weakened” to the point where it can no longer endanger its neighbors.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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