Russia has accused Ukraine's Western allies of providing the intelligence that enabled them to strike the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol last week.
It was previously reported that the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet commander, Adm. Viktor Sokolov, was among the 34 high-ranking officers killed in the attack, but the claim was thrown into doubt after Moscow officials released footage of him allegedly still alive.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a press briefing Wednesday (September 27) that the attack was planned using surveillance data provided by NATO and other Western intelligence agencies. She particularly blamed the US and UK for providing the information Kyiv needed in planning the attack.
However, her claim could not be independently verified as intelligence agencies do not discuss such information with the public.
On the other hand, Kremlin officials have repeatedly menaced the West for its support for Ukraine.
Russia's Security Council chief and former president Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday (September 28) that the arrival of US-made M1 Abrams main battle tanks in Ukraine was pushing the West and Russia close to direct conflict.
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Ukraine: Intel Came From Russians Who Defected
While it can be confirmed that Western intelligence communities share their information with Kyiv, Ukrainian forces said the intelligence leading to the missile strike, which was allegedly executed using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles, reportedly came from Russian officers who defected to the Ukrainian side.
The Business Insider said that officers who were not paid by the Russian military sold information to resistance groups within Crimea, which enabled Ukraine to target an important meeting and maximize the casualties.
This was not the first instance that an intel report became crucial in some of Ukraine's biggest strikes. In February, The Washington Post reported that Western intelligence sources have described giving Kyiv information to help it target strikes against Russia.
