FT: US has been helping Ukraine hit Russia’s energy infrastructure for months
12 October 10:36
For several months now, the United States has been helping Ukraine to strike energy facilities in Russia. This was reported by the Financial Times (FT) with reference to officials, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to the interlocutors, these actions are a “coordinated effort” aimed at weakening Russia’s economy in order to persuade Russian dictator Putin to negotiate.
According to Ukrainian and American officials, “American intelligence data shared with Kyiv has enabled strikes on important Russian energy facilities, including oil refineries, far beyond the front lines.”
According to the FT, American intelligence is helping Ukraine determine the route, altitude and timing of strikes, which allows long-range Ukrainian armed forces drones to evade Russian air defense.
Sources familiar with the situation told the newspaper that Washington was directly involved in all stages of planning. A U.S. official said that Ukraine chose the targets for long-range strikes, and Washington then provided intelligence on the vulnerability of these targets. In addition, the United States also identified “priority targets” inside Russia, the text says.
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has threatened to blackout Russian cities.
