The Russian Defense Ministry on Tuesday said Washington was “directly involved” in the war in Ukraine after a Ukrainian official detailed Kyiv’s cooperation with the US before launching strikes with US-provided HIMARS rockets.
Vadym Skibitsky, the deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, told The Telegraph that Ukrainian officials consulted with US officials before launching HIMARS strikes and that the US has veto power over the attacks.
Skibitsky insisted that the US wasn’t providing “direct targeting information,” but suggested Ukraine was using satellite imagery provided by the US and Britain. “I can’t tell you whether [we are directly tasking] British and American satellites, but we have very good satellite imagery,” Skibitsky said.
Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, said that this cooperation “proves that contrary to the assurances by the White House and the Pentagon, Washington is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.”
The comments from the Russian Defense Ministry highlight the danger of the US’s deep involvement in the war, which risks provoking a response from Moscow. Russian officials have cited US military aid as a reason to push further into Ukrainian territory.
After Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, the US expanded intelligence sharing with Ukraine’s forces, and US officials have bragged to the media that this cooperation helped kill Russian generals and sink a Russian warship. Although the claims were not verified, the comments themselves were major provocations toward Moscow.
Two choices: 1. Destroy all US and UK satellites orbiting over Ukraine and Russia. 2. Declare total war.
God save us from #2; but Russia has strong case for #1. I don’t see how the UN could side with its master on this head.
China demonstrated its ability to take out a satellite when it shot down one of its own satellites. No satellite = No intelligence as to what is happening on terrafirma.
Russia says Russia is directly involved in the Ukraine War.
From the Russian perspective this isn’t really even a war.
The presumption by Russia appears to be that US troops are operating the HIMARS and/or that US intelligence is providing target acquisition for those HIMARS. I suspect both ideas are true. Not that it matters – Russia has already destroyed half the HIMARS sent to Ukraine, and the rest are mostly irrelevant. They are having zero operational impact on Russia’s operation. Any impact they have is locally tactical and that’s all.
MofA has an interest report from a Ukrainian soldier on their situation:
Ukraine SitRep – On The Ground Report – Ukrainian Frontline Collapses
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/08/ukraine-sitrep-on-the-ground-report-ukrainian-frontline-collapses.html
It’s no secret that a few thousand, maybe even 10,000, NATO troops are active in Ukraine in various ‘training’ and ‘advisory’ capacities.
Our tax dollars at work
Gotta do something with all that free time…
It’s no secret that a few thousand, maybe even 10,000, NATO troops are active in Ukraine in various ‘training’ and ‘advisory’ capacities.
Our tax dollars at work
This is the dumbest distinction I’ve seen yet.
Basically it’s saying that if I give you a gun with the express intent that you go shoot at X, I’m not “directly involved” in your shooting at X — but if I give you a map and say “don’t shoot at X here, here, or here,” I’m “directly involved.”
The US has been “directly involved” in this war since long before it started.
Or, If I’m giving you a map and telling you “here’s the X you were looking for, go shoot it now with the gun I gave you, the way I taught you, and here’s some extra bullets”, then yes I am a direct participant.
That sort of complicity in a murder would get me a 1st degree murder charge as an accomplice.
But if I gave you the gun for that purpose, I am already a direct participant.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian claim that the Russians were responding to was a claim that “we told them what targets we were going to hit and they told us which ones we couldn’t use their weapons to hit.” Which is the exact opposite of your hypothetical.
IF you believe what the Ukrainians and the US are saying. But I don’t; I believe it’s just the opposite; the US and UK ARE providing detailed targeting information, but because they (meaning, every senior US and UK military. “intelligence” and political leader) have the maturity level of 17 year old jocks, they can’t help but congratulate themselves, so now need to Deny, Deny, Deny rather than admit what they have already bragged they are doing.
There was an admission that we assisted Ukraine in locating the Russian generals that were killed. No way did Kiev have the expertise to pull that off. No way.
Hopefully the imbecile that made that admission got fired and criminally charged; but knowing our military, the fool will probably be promoted to be the next Chief of Staff.
Not that Eisenhower ran the tightest ship in WW2; but there was one General who got drunk in a pub pre D-Day and blathered some fairly incomprehensible info about the upcoming invasion, and he was stripped of rank, fired from his job. and sent back to the US in disgrace. That kind of accountability would never happen in today’s military, where “mistake” after “mistake” after “mistake” goes unpunished. Still waiting for the cretin who followed the car full of water jugs around in Kabul for THIRTEEN FREAKING HOURS before deciding they were “definitely” terrorists meriting a “righteous strike” that killed 10 innocent civilians to get punished. As If.
No, IF I believe what the Russians just said.
The US and UK likely ARE providing detailed targeting information.
But the Russian response was to a statement that the US was merely vetoing particular targets, a claim the Russian response did not contest.
For sure it’s splitting legal hairs, but that’s what the US does. This will deny NATO legal cover when Russia is forced to hit Poland or Germany or Moldova etc..
It was the US that shot and murdered police and civilians in the maidan, Brian Christopher Boyenger ran a crew of NATO funded snipers who operated from the Ukraina Hotel that was locked down by the Right Sector (Openly Neo Nazi Paramiltary Organisation) at the time.
It was Brian Christopher Boyenga who was embedded with the Azov Battalion (Openly Neo Nazi Paramiltary Organisation) who he trained and supplied US weapons to, which btw were used for the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Donbass. The US Rand corporation documented the process to ethnicly cleanse the Donbass of Russian speakers, which btw included concentration camps.
Obama himself admitted he overthrew Yanuchovich. Its not that Obama wanted to kill them all, if they fled to Russia that achieved the same goal. Obama needed to ethnically cleanse the Donbass to ensure that the Racist/Fascist Junta he placed in power could stay in power. The Russian speakers in Ukraine held the balance of power and had to be removed if the Junta was to stay in power.
“It was the US that shot and murdered police and civilians in the maidan, Brian Christopher Boyenger ran a crew of NATO funded snipers who operated from the Ukraina Hotel that was locked down by the Right Sector (Openly Neo Nazi Paramilitary Organisation) at the time.
It was Brian Christopher Boyenga who was embedded with the Azov Battalion (Openly Neo Nazi Paramilitary Organisation) who he trained and supplied US weapons to, which btw were used for the attempted ethnic cleansing of the Donbas. The US Rand corporation documented the process to ethnically cleanse the Donbas of Russian speakers, which btw included concentration camps.”
A very timely reminder of the historical preambular to the Ukrainian conflict.
Is it Boyenga or Boyenger?
Blocked.
Wimp.
Stating the obvious.
The first rule of sharing secret satellite imagery is you don’t talk about it. This guy is either a liar or a fool.
I’ll bet fool, because he sure as hell talked about it.
https://sonar21.com/my-interview-with-rt-on-the-thomas-friedman-op-ed/
“But he also reveals the growing panic among the Washington establishment about the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.”
I find that difficult to believe as the weapons and cash flow from Washington to Ukraine continues unabated. Why panic if you’re a Washington bureaucrat taking your cut?
Is the panic over the gravy train coming to an end? Ukraine isn’t Iraq, Syria, or Afghanistan.
Thomas Friedman just leaked that information, when writing about Taiwan. He just as an aside said the Ukraine war is not going well, immediate disasters lurk in many ways, and DC insiders do not trust Zelinsky even as they claim they do (they are flat out lying to us about that).
I think he accidentally told some truths when he was thinking about his other topic.
So, that is the insider account admitting specific growing panic.
Here is Zelenski’s future………….Shot by a US trained Banderite sniper.
The US is getting badly beaten up in the Donbass. This war of attrition is bleeding out US/NATO/EU resources. The sanctions have had the exact opposite effect.
The US cannot have a legitimate party sign the surrender document. Zelenski is the legitimate party in Ukraine. Its that simple.
US is fully in charge in Ukraine, in case you did not know …