NYT: US, Ukraine Increased Intelligence Sharing Ahead of Kharkiv Counteroffensive

Earlier in the war, the US expanded intelligence sharing with Ukraine

Ukraine had stepped up intelligence sharing with the US ahead of its northeast counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region that has seen significant success, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

The report cited unnamed US officials who said Ukraine started sharing more information with the US on its planned operations. The officials said this allowed the US to give advice and share intelligence for the counteroffensive, although the details of how exactly Washington helped are not clear.

Earlier in the war, the US had loosened restrictions to allow real-time intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Throughout the fighting, US officials claimed that this real-time intelligence had helped Ukraine target Russian forces, kill senior Russian officers, and drive Russian ammunition supplies further away from the front lines.

The US claims on how much the intelligence sharing has helped Ukraine aren’t confirmed, but it demonstrates how intimately involved Washington is in Kyiv’s war against Russia. US officials have previously bragged to the media about how intelligence sharing helped sink Russian ships and kill Russian generals, but the claims were later downplayed, with Pentagon officials insisting they don’t pick targets for Kyiv.

Ukraine’s Kharkiv offensive has led to significant territorial gains as Russian troops have pulled out of many areas in the region. A US official told the Times that Washington had “constantly” discussed with Kyiv ways Ukrainian forces could stop Russian offensives in the east.

The US had also reportedly helped Ukraine prepare for its southern counteroffensive in the Kherson region, but that push has not seen much success.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.