There Was A Role For The US When Ukraine Succeeded In Sinking The Russian Moskva Missile Cruiser 121

Russia's Moskva 121 missile cruiser. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru/Ministry of Defense)

JAKARTA - It turns out that there was a role for the United States when the Russian military force, which was the main ship of the Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva 121 missile cruiser, was seriously damaged and sank.

The Moskva is a guided-missile cruiser carrying a crew of 510. Moscow is the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

The ship sank on April 14 after it was claimed it was hit by two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles.

A US official shared the story exclusively with NBC News. The anonymous official confirmed information from the US helped Ukraine sink the Russian cruiser Moskva.

The attack came after Ukrainian forces asked the US about a ship sailing in the Black Sea south of Odesa. The US identified it as Moskva, officials said, and helped confirm its location.

After that Ukraine targeted the ship and launched an attack.

The US had no idea in advance that Ukraine would target the ship. The US was also not involved in any decision to attack.

Maritime intelligence is shared with Ukraine to help defend against attacks by Russian ships, the officials added.

American officials have expressed concern that reporting about US intelligence sharing with Ukraine could anger Putin and trigger an unexpected response.

The White House did not immediately provide NBC News for comment.

"We were not involved in Ukraine's decision to attack the ship or in the operations they conducted," added Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.

“We have no prior knowledge of Ukraine's intentions to target the ship. Ukraine has their own intelligence capabilities to track and target Russian naval vessels, as they did in this case."