War in Ukraine
The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

U.S. provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink Russian warship

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May 5, 2022 at 6:24 p.m. EDT
The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, shown in 2008 in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, was sunk in the Black Sea in April. (AP)
9 min

The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day-old war, according to people familiar with the matter.

The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraine’s fight against Russia. It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.