US has helped Ukraine target Russian generals: report

Authored by thehill.com and submitted by Picture-unrelated

Senior administration officials told The New York Times on Wednesday that the U.S has provided intelligence to Ukraine’s armed forces and that it has been used to help kill Russian generals who have died during the country’s ongoing war.

While not specifying how many Russian generals have been killed thanks to U.S. assistances, sources told the Times the information was part of a classified program that aims to help Ukrainians provide real-time intel. Ukraine maintains that it has killed 12 Russian generals.

The Times reported that Ukrainian officials have combined location details from the U.S. plus their own intelligence to conduct strikes that have helped kill members of the Russian forces.

Asked about the report, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson acknowledged that the U.S. does provide battlefield intelligence to Ukraine but disputed the way The Times framed its story.

“The headline of this story is misleading and the way it is framed is irresponsible,” Watson said. “The United States provides battlefield intelligence to help the Ukrainians defend their country. We do not provide intelligence with the intent to kill Russian generals.”

The sources would not reveal to the Times how the U.S. has gleaned its intel on the location of Russian troops, but the newspaper noted it has used secret and commercial satellite images as some of its sources.

Multiple generals from the Russian army have been killed by Ukrainian forces during the ongoing conflict between the two countries, which began on Feb. 24.

Most recently, Russian authorities confirmed the death of the commander of the 8th Army, Maj. Gen. Vladimir Petrovich Frolov, last month, saying that he died during infighting with Ukrainian troops, with St. Petersburg Gov. Alexander Beglov citing the late general as a hero.

“He sacrificed his life so that children, women and the elderly in the Donbas would no longer hear bomb explosions,” Beglov said in a statement. “To stop waiting for death and leaving home, to say goodbye as if it were the last time.”

This comes as U.S. officials said on Wednesday that they plan to ramp up training sessions with Ukrainian troops as Russian forces mount a new attack on the eastern part of the country, noting that hundreds of troops are being trained on artillery systems, drones and radars.

The Hill has reached out to the Department of Defense for comment.

–Jordan Williams contributed to this report, which was updated on May 5 at 12:26 p.m.

SteadfastEnd on May 5th, 2022 at 03:42 UTC »

Losing 12 Russian generals and 36 colonels in a war in less than three months is a stupefying rate of top-officer losses. No comparison in the modern era even comes remotely close. If you got in a time machine and predicted these death numbers to cadet instructors at West Point a year ago, you would have been laughed out of the classroom.

mtarascio on May 5th, 2022 at 02:03 UTC »

The US and UK were giving them real time data on Russian infantry movements so they could properly defend.

This is the tip of the iceberg.

The post script on this a decade down the line is going to be incredible.

Holos620 on May 5th, 2022 at 01:59 UTC »

US couldn't be happier with destroying Russia's army without direct involvement and blame.