Russia claimed on Tuesday that the United States is directly involved in the war in Ukraine because American spies are authorizing and coordinating Ukrainian missile strikes against Russian forces.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Vadim Skibitsky, deputy head of Ukraine’s military intelligence services, admitted to the Telegraph newspaper that Washington was coordinating the HIMARS missile strikes.
Skibitsky told the British newspaper that there were consultations between US and Ukrainian intelligence officials before the strikes and that Washington had an effective veto on proposed targets, although he said US officials were not providing information on direct targets.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the interview showed Washington was directly involved, despite repeated assurances that it was limiting its role in the conflict to arms supplies because it did not want a direct confrontation with Moscow.
“All of this irrefutably proves that Washington, contrary to what the White House and the Pentagon claim, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine,” the Defense Department said in a statement.
“It is the Biden administration that is directly responsible for all Kyiv-sanctioned missile attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in populated areas of the Donbass and elsewhere, resulting in mass civilian casualties,” the Defense Ministry said.
There is currently no response to the Russian Defense Ministry’s claims from the White House or the Pentagon.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of launching devastating missile attacks on civilian targets on an almost daily basis.
The supply of advanced long-range weapons systems from Western countries to Ukraine is seen as critical for Kyiv to reverse the situation on the battlefield, where Russia is heavily dependent on long-range bombing of urban areas.
