The Washington Post reported Thursday that Ukraine is reliant on coordinates provided or confirmed by the US and its allies to launch strikes using the US-provided HIMARS rocket systems, a revelation that demonstrates Washington’s deep involvement in the war.
The HIMARS is a precision-guided artillery system, one that Ukraine has employed quite a bit in its fight against Russia. One example is a January 1 HIMARS strike on a facility housing Russian forces in Donetsk that killed at least 89 Russian soldiers, one of the deadliest Ukrainian attacks of the war.
Citing three unnamed Ukrainian officials and one unnamed US official, the Post reported that Ukraine also relies on the US for targeting coordinates for similar precision weapons, including the M270 Multiple-Launch Rocket System. One senior Ukrainian official said that Ukrainian forces almost never launch strikes using these weapons without coordinates provided by US military personnel that are located at a military base in a different country in Europe.
Top Biden administration officials have acknowledged publicly that they have been providing Ukraine with intelligence to carry out attacks on Russian forces, but the details of that cooperation were not previously known.
The Post report said that Ukrainian officials identify targets they want to hit and the location, then provide that information to the US military for more accurate coordinates. The US military then usually sends the coordinates, although sometimes they don’t, and the Ukrainian forces don’t fire.
A senior Ukrainian official said that the cooperation shows the US can provide longer-range weapons without having to worry about them being used to hit inside Russian territory. “You’re controlling every shot anyway, so when you say, ‘We’re afraid that you’re going to use it for some other purposes,’ well, we can’t do it even if we want to,” the official said.
But a US official disputed the idea that Ukraine was running the targets by the US for approval and said the US only provides coordinates. Back in August, a top Ukrainian intelligence official said that they consult with the US before launching HIMARS strikes and that the US has veto power over the target. Ukraine could have more freedom now to choose its own targets as the Biden administration is less and less concerned about escalating the war.
Russia has made clear it views the US and Ukraine’s cooperation on targeting as an example of Washington’s direct role in the war, and Moscow isn’t alone in its assessment. Back in March 2022, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), former chair of the House Armed Services Committee, said the US wasn’t providing “real-time targeting intelligence” because that kind of cooperation “steps over the line to making us participate in the war.”
Well, I guess the Russians can return the favor by targeting those US intel people wherever they are in Europe, right?
It is mostly about the satellites. Not so difficult to wipe them out from the orbit but it means the escalation of the war to the space and the destruction of Russian and Chinese satellites too. And not only military satellites.
Satellites were used to identify the Russian soldiers in that eastern Oblast hospital? In real time?
I suspect human intelligence is present in and around Ukraine – in spades – and has been since post 2014.
The satellites are very efficient in the monitoring the movement of enemy troops, vehicles etc. and coordinating the work of artillery.
If the story is correct, “returning the favor” would consist of e.g. giving the Iranian regime veto power over Russian use of provided drones.
Bibi, Joe, MIC & MSM would just love it.
The US is enabling Ukraine, not limiting Ukraine.
It is pure propaganda in favor of longer range weapons to suggest that Ukraine couldn’t and wouldn’t use them other than as the US desires.
Nope, that wouldn’t be returning the favor. Wrong country.
The Iranians sold the drones to Russia, whereas we adopted Ukraine. Ukraine is not a country. Ukraine is our instrument, bought and paid for.
As for Russian action against the Americans in Europe, it’s only a matter of time. Just ask Joe Biden.
“Ukraine is not a country”
What a dumb statement.
Ukraine is a colony of the U.S.
An Even dumber statement.
The U.S. has been running the government in Ukraine out of the U.S embassy in Kiev ever since the Maidan coup.
Russia can counter U.S. intel soon enough. But they do have some sxplaining to do about sabotaging European gas supply.
Wow, it’s over for Ukraine then.
How “counter”? … take out StarLink? transatlantic cable? Wouldn’t this play into Washington’s need for another “Pearl” so to propel the country into full-on WWIII?
U.S. wants this WW3, even if they have to orchestrate a false flag. The Petrodollar is going bye bye and they know it. To create a new centralized digital currency, they need a justification.
Not unlikely.
Do you really expect Washington terrorists to come up clean about bombing of Nordstream pipelines?
It is an American war. Of course, US is the main provider of the intelligence from the beginning. Not only for HIMARS.
Taking out the guidance of those missiles is not escalation. It is to be expected. The escalation was the strikes, not any attempt to stop them.
The US provocation of the war, refusal of peace, sabotage of its allies, and now exposure of its hidden combat role, all will come back at us. By then, the people doing it will have figured out a lie to blame that on the people who did not stop them.
This is not new news. The West admitted to this many months ago.
The US is trying to fight and defeat the Russians without getting their hands dirty except for the Trillions of dollars being wasted on a losing cause like Viet Nam,Iraq and Afganistan while the infrastucture at home is dying,wasting away and the social order is being destroyed by crooked,ignorant politicians.
The situation could be improved by the nationalization of MIC. If people don’t want war, they should try to create such a situation where no one can benefit from the war.
What makes you think that no one benefits from war if a country’s MIC is “nationalized.” All that does is transfer the wealth to corrupt bureaucrats instead of to supposedly “private sector” oligarchs. Do you think Denis Manturov and Yury Slyusar aren’t making bank?
The difference between the military budgets of Russia, China and US is that China and Russia are motivated by the security of their countries while American military budget is dictated by MIC “lobby”. Many congressmen have direct benefit from the ever increasing military budget. That’s why it is US who is always interested in the wars and warmongering.
That model will benefit Only the US President and his inner circle just like in Russia.
Im not sure we will ever embrace dictatorship in the US but you can push for it, you are obviously supportive and comfortable with “strong” leaders.
You are right, the US has spent trillions in wars over the last couple few decades plus many more billion preparing for a potential war against what we were all led to believe was the second most powerful Ground force in the world.
Well, thanks to Ukraine, now the USG can save money by only focusing on countering Russia’s nukes.
You will probably see more money flowing towards your infrastructure in the upcoming years.
Like that’s going to happen. More likely, space aliens over Montana…
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-faa-closes-some-airspace-montana-defense-department-activities-2023-02-12/
You can bet the Russians have Zelensky’s coordinates 24/7, using their own data.
They why haven’t they waxed him yet?
Why indeed? You can bet the Ukrainian government is thoroughly penetrated by the Russians so they have ongoing position estimates for Zelensky and they certainly have missiles they can put on target. He’s just a figurehead anyway and would probably be replaced by someone less clownish, so why take the PR hit of killing him? If the Russians want to take that step they can, but they’re going to win anyway. Maybe they want to stretch it out and bleed NATO as much as they can.
Well, that went from having his coordinates 24/7 to having position estimates faster than Tyreek Hill’s 40-yard dash.
There’s little doubt that the Russians have human intelligence sources reasonably close to Zelenskyy and aware of where he is most of the time. Getting that information out in an actionably timely manner without getting caught is the problem.
Yeah, I should have said the Russians maintain a position estimate for Zelensky 24/7. It’s probably a fair guess they could kill him inside a given 24 hr window. I don’t think getting the strike info out would be a problem, a short encrypted blip would do it. If anything I think it’s more likely the increasingly spiraling US might try to false flag him.
That would be a dumb thing to do. Russia’s patient, Sun Tzu like conduct of the intervention is not prone to flashy big bang actions.
Zelenski will stay where he is for as long as useful to US and the Nazi clique manhandling him. Which are not always identical interests.
Shake ups are roiling his ruling ecosystem. The earth is moving under his feet. Sixteen tear olds pressed into military, draconian laws just passed targetting disobedience in armed forces.
The flight out of Ukraine continues with mostly educated and skilled population leaving. Hardship of everyday life is increasing.
Russia has many more objectives to achieve over time. The last thing it wants do is to intervene when Kiev is shaken up by internal strife.
Kiev is tempted into more Hail Mary passes. It is understandable. But in the long run, they can only lose. The only questiin is — how will Ukraine look like in the end.
Except that Putin gave his word to Naftali Bennet that he would not assassinate Zelensky. That’s when Zelensky finally crawled out of his bunker to put on his show of brave leader.
I hadn’t heard that. If true, I expect Putin pledged not to murder Zelensky to get him out of his bunker and on camera in order to publicize his farcical leadership, or maybe Putin had already decided against it for practical reasons and figured he’d air it for some PR points. I don’t imagine it was a genuine humanitarian gesture.
The US is violating all the rules of neutrality. Is anyone really shocked?
Well, when you’re the instigator of a war, it would be difficult to wear the mantle of neutrality, for sure.
Huh. Wonder if Ukrainazia recalls that Amerikkka has gotten its ass kicked in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, et al. I wouldn’t put too much faith in them if I were ZelBoy.
“Ukraine Relies on Intelligence from US for HIMARS Rocket Strikes Ukrainian officials tell WaPo they almost never launch HIMARS rounds without using coordinates provided by US military personnel”
Now that Ukraine is using chemical weapons the complicity of the US makes Joey Biden, Anthony Blinken, and Loyd J Austin war criminals.
It will be delicious if they are brought before the International Criminal Court and then jailed!!!
https://t.me/TXDPR/4947
◾️The Latvian military let slip about the use of chlorine by the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Artemovsk.
◾️ A viewer on the air of Riga TV24 asked if the Ukrainians used chemical weapons. In response to this, according to Baltnews, the Latvian major of the National Armed Forces, Janis Slaydins, only asked: “In which sector?” … ” I have information that near Bahmut before Chlorine been have been used”.
If all the people and politicians were tried by the ICC for war crimes there would be a shortage of elected or appointed officials going all the way back to FDR,Wilson and Truman. No American president would be immune to prosecution.
You got that right!
The Biden administration would have to stand trial, everyone of them. And all the presidents before, certainly W. included.
Illegal sanctions are de facto war crimes against civilians, nations we are not even at war with, Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela and dozens more come to mind.
Maybe it would take unconditional surrender by NATO to Russia, the victor, to make a tribunal by the victor possible.
So far the US has never been held responsible by any international authority for any war crimes, and there are plenty.
The Nurnberg tribunal has never been repeated that I know of.
Some people in Washington are thinking now about providing Kiev regime with nukes.
So my ZelBoy action figure comes with a red button too?
Until they suddenly discover that they messed up. They are just more reckless now.
Not surprising at all. Anglo-American parasites are pulling all the strings in Ukraine. They are targeting civilians almost exclusively in order to escalate the conflict in Europe.
The other reason why they are targeting civilians in Donbass all those years is the effort to undermine the authority of Putin and expose him as a weak president who can’t defend Russian civilians.
Yep. There is a major pressure on Russian government to escalate and nuke Washington and London.
I sure do wish that it was possible to nuke those 2 cities while leaving the rest of the countries alone for now.
America relies on Ukrainian cannon fodder to hit their targets. Know what is really going on.
Ukraine is a beggar state. When Crimea is attacked Ukraine will be no more. The US knows it.
Ukraine is a beggar state. When Crimea is attacked Ukraine will be no more. The US knows it.
America relies on Ukrainian cannon fodder to hit their Russian targets. Know what is really going on.
The Russian MOD is fighting a very successful war of attrition disarming NATO (Ukraine was disarmed in March), tank by tank, artillery by artillery, air defense by air defense.
NATO overall has accumulated the following equipment losses;
384 Aircraft, 207 helicopters, 3069 UAV’s, 403 Anti Aircraft systems, 7812 tanks inc. APC’s, 1014 multiple rocket launchers, 4046 rocket launchers and 8313 military automotive equipment.
What the empire looses in the Ukraine, they loose for the final Russian attack on NATO. Remember Russia attacked Ukraine just as NATO was about to unleash in the Donbass. Russia has shown they will pre-emptively attack to defend the Motherland when the time is dictated by events on the ground.
This isn’t news. It has been obvious all along that you need intelligence from satellites to get proper coordinates for high precision artillery.
Putin should begin shooting down spy satellites .
The problem with that idea is it would lead to a global satellite bombing war. Say goodbye to satellite TVs, civilian navigation GPS services, weather tracking, Google Earth, Star Link, and other services that all of the 1st world relies upon. This scenario would be preferable to global nuclear war, but still would be devastating.
And it wouldn’t necessarily just be the damage from the loss of the services the satellites provide. Could end up with an ablation cascade, rendering space activity of some, or even all, kinds, difficult or impossible for a long time.
“Ukraine Relies on US Intelligence for Rocket Strikes”
US relies on lizard brain for intelligence
I hope Putin knows that he is dealing with a psychopathic U.S.A. Psychopaths have no conscience and will stop at nothing to get their way. They lie, cheat, and steal. They keep everyone living in fear of what they might do. That’s how they succeed in getting their way. The Seymour Hersh investigative reporting article tells it all, and yet the mainstream news media ignores it and won’t report on it, further keeping Americans ignorant. What a sad state of affairs.
Oh, he knows. Psychopaths have a talent for recognizing each other.
There is no actual evidence to suggest Vladimir Putin is psychopath, pure racist projection.
Politics self-selects for sociopaths and/or psychopaths.
As did the KGB.
The actual evidence that he’s a sociopath and/or psychopath is his life history and current job title.
Ditto Joe Biden.
As for the idiotic “racist” talk, 23andMe says my DNA is, to a considerable degree, Russian, and I’ve never had anything against non-sociopath/psychopath Russians.
Pure projection.
I think the sociopath politician idea merits a lot more attention. I got thinking about it some years ago and the longer you look at it the more it holds up. It’s a uniquely challenging analysis because it involves empathizing with people who don’t have any.
You’re thinking sociopaths, they’re the ones without a conscience. Technically, a psychopath is any person with a pathological psychiatric condition, though granted it sounds more threatening than sociopath. Not to split paths. But yeah, politicians are commonly sociopaths, or as I like to call them, hate mongering trash.
Do you think that psychopaths have consciences that work?
Reading the Wikipedia page, psychopath and sociopath are “sometimes considered synonymous”, but sociopath is the more explicit term for someone without a conscience. I gather that a psychopath isn’t necessarily a sociopath, but it helps. I think maybe straight up sociopaths are especially dangerous because they’re not otherwise psychologically dysfunctional and can pass as normal.
Senate hearings now show us that Media, the DNC, FBI, and US intelligence agencies all colluded with Washington to censor what people said.
This is against the 1st Amendment (does the rule of law matter anymore)? So much for media being a private enterprise that can set what ever rules they like?
When you collude with the Government to Censor what people say….Its a criminal conspiracy.