The United States reportedly shared intelligence that has helped Ukraine target and kill Russian generals during the Kremlin’s ongoing invasion of the country.
According to The New York Times, senior American officials said the U.S. had provided real-time battlefield intel to the Ukrainians, including the location of Russia’s mobile military headquarters. Ukraine then used that knowledge, as well as its own intelligence, to conduct artillery strikes and attacks to kill Russian officers.
To date, Ukraine said it has killed around 12 Russian generals during the war. The Times added that not all of the airstrikes have relied on American intelligence; Ukraine has its own intelligence-collecting methods.
The paper’s sources did not reveal how the U.S. obtained its intelligence and would not specify how many generals may have been killed due to the sharing of that information.
The effort is part of a classified push to help Ukraine defend itself, and the Biden administration has been working to keep the full scope of its support secret, the Times reported. The White House fears any open effort to share intelligence could provoke Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has warned the U.S. to stop arming Ukraine, saying there could be “unpredictable consequences” for doing so.
Western nations have continued to penalize Russia for the invasion. Earlier this week, the European Union’s top official called on the bloc to ban Russian oil imports and unveiled new sanctions against the country’s biggest bank and media broadcasters.
Military analysts fear Putin may use Russia’s upcoming Victory Day holiday — on May 9 — to intensify attacks and mobilize the Russian people for a broader war.