Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Thursday pushed back on a report from The New York Times that said the US provided intelligence that allowed Ukraine to target and kill Russian generals.
“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,” Kirby said.
“Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intelligence that they themselves are gathering, and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions,” he added.
The Times report cited anonymous senior US officials who said the US was able to give Ukraine the location of Russia’s mobile military headquarters. The officials said that information, combined with Ukraine’s own intelligence, allowed them to target Russian generals.
When asked if the details from the Times report were false, Kirby declined to answer and wouldn’t elaborate on US intelligence sharing. “I am not going to talk about intelligence sharing from this podium,” he said.
National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson downplayed the report and criticized the Times for the way it presented the information. “The headline of this story is misleading and the way it is framed is irresponsible,” Watson told The Hill. “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.”
Ukraine has claimed to have killed 12 Russian generals in the war, but the number is not confirmed, and Kyiv has a reason to exaggerate its success against Russia. The US officials speaking to the Times also wouldn’t say how many Russian generals were killed as a result of US intelligence sharing.
Whether or not the Times report is true, the claims from US officials are still a major provocation against Moscow. Responding to the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it is “well known” that the US is sharing intelligence with Ukraine and said it wouldn’t stop Moscow from achieving its goals.
“Our military knows well that the United States, Britain, and NATO permanently supply the Ukrainian army with intelligence data and other parameters. This is well-known,” Peskov said, according to Russia’s Tass news agency. “At the same time, [such actions] are unable to prevent the achievement of the special military operation’s goals.”
Corruption, Stupidity, and indiscipline by the Kremlin and Russian Army is what’s really killing those Generals.
Has Kiev ever told the truth about ANYTHING?
Has Moscow ever been HONEST?
Lies and more lies, that’s all that’s coming out of the Kremlin…
“We do not provide intelligence on the location of senior military leaders on the battlefield” – Sorry pal, that’s EXACTLY how we operate when it’s in our interest to do so. I’m pretty sure if the US wanted to take out every Russian senior commander in Ukraine, the drones would know exactly where they were and would be en route within minutes, if they’re not already on station.
right. team zelensky has a ninja assassin squad that has managed to kill 12 russia generals so far.
because somehow uncle sam knows where they live.
Zelensky and his coke sessions…
Straight lies. Us definitely giving them targeting info on Russian generals
“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,” Kirby said.
“Ukraine combines information that we and other partners provide with the intelligence that they themselves are gathering, and then they make their own decisions and they take their own actions,” he added.
First he says we don’t. Then he says we do but it’s just part of the overall intelligence that Ukraine then uses to make their own decisions and take their own actions. And since the whole conversation is about the generals being killed then one would assume that the intelligence we provide, along with Ukraine’s own and that of “other partners”, is indeed helping them kill generals. What a double talking douchebag.
Kirby is always so agitated and breathless as he spins his lies. He reminds me of a marionette dancing to the string pulling of his superiors.
Yeah, and I have a bridge I’d like to sell them.
Probably a lie, but one that should be told.
It’s better to kill generals than to kill conscripts or civilians.
Even better to kill the politicians who sent them to war.
Right. The US did not call for regime change in Russia either. Except Biden did.
How much blatant behavior can be walked back? It has become absurd — “We are not dong what we are doing. Don’t believe either our words or our actions, just our latest talking points.”