Russia says US ‘directly involved’ in Ukraine military conflict
Moscow, Aug 2 (EFE).- Russia said on Tuesday the United States was “directly involved” in the military conflict in Ukraine because US spies were coordinating Ukrainian missile strikes against Russian forces.
The comments came after Ukraine’s deputy military intelligence chief Vadym Skibitsky told British media that Washington was helping Kyiv coordinate HIMARS missile strikes.
“All this undeniably proves that Washington, contrary to White House and Pentagon claims, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine,” Russian defense ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement.
Skibitsky denied that the US was telling Ukraine exactly what targets to hit but admitted that the two countries had exchanged information before each attack.
“The US president Joe Biden administration is directly responsible for all Kyiv-approved rocket attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure in populated areas of Donbas and other regions, which have resulted in mass deaths of civilians,” Konashenkov added.
The Russian military spokesman referred to an attack last week that killed some 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) after a strike hit a prison in Olenivka.
Pro-Russian separatist forces claimed Ukraine’s army had hit the prison with a United States-made HIMARS missile system while Kyiv has accused Moscow of being behind the attack and of trying to cover up potential war crimes.
While supporting Kyiv with military assistance including HIMARS artillery rockets, Biden has been keen to avoid any direct confrontation between Russian and Nato troops.
The US announced Monday a new $550 million military aid package for Ukraine which includes more ammunition HIMARS and 75,000 rounds of 155mm artillery ammunition, the Pentagon said.
Moscow warned Tuesday that it would cut diplomatic ties with the US if it were to declare Russia a terrorist state following pressure from Congress and Ukraine. EFE
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