Report: U.S. intelligence is helping Ukraine target Russian generals

The United States has passed along intelligence to Ukraine about Russian military units, allowing the Ukrainians to target and kill several Russian generals, senior U.S. officials told The New York Times.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, approximately 12 Russian generals have been killed on the frontlines in artillery strikes and other attacks, Ukrainian officials said. It is unclear how many were killed due to the U.S. intelligence.

The U.S. has shared with Ukraine real-time battlefield intelligence, such as the location of the Russian military's mobile headquarters and expected Russian troop movements in the Donbas region, U.S. officials told the Times. The stepped-up intelligence coincides with the U.S. delivering more aid and heavy weapons to Ukraine.

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Ukraine has used this information to its advantage, combining it with intercepted communications indicating top Russian officers are in certain areas. The Russians' use of unsecure phones and radios "shows poor discipline, lack of experience, arrogance, and failure to appreciate Ukrainian capabilities," Frederick B. Hodges, the former top U.S. Army commander in Europe, told the Times. "It is not hard to geo-locate someone on a phone talking in the clear."

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told the Times he would not comment on the report, but did say the U.S. provides "Ukraine with information and intelligence that they can use to defend themselves." Read more at The New York Times.