JAKARTA - Washington's approval of any Kyiv military strike target with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), proves the United States is directly involved in the conflict, despite claims from the White House and the Pentagon, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.
He explained that the head of the Main Intelligence Department of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, General Vadim Skibitsky, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that Ukrainian and US intelligence agencies were consulted every time before the HIMARS attack.
It even said, the US has the opportunity to stop any attack, if it is not satisfied with the intended targets by the Ukrainian military.
"All this conclusively proves, contrary to the assurances of the White House and the Pentagon, that Washington was directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine," Konashenkov said, detailing that the Russian Defense Ministry has noted and will remember this official acknowledgment.
Separately, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press conference earlier on Tuesday, commenting on the Skibitsky interview that the US arms shipments to Ukraine were accompanied not only by instructions on weapons operations, but also by shooter functions.
As previously reported, HIMARS is operated by the Ukrainian military, said to be manned by North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military personnel, with information about the advanced weapons operating system not being transferred to Kyiv due to lack of trust, Russian security sources told Sputnik, citing intelligence received from sources within the Ukrainian military.
"According to information received from sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, at least two HIMARS are operating in the southern area, with the remaining 10 scattered in the northern arc, in active hostilities in Donbas," said the source who requested anonymity, citing Sputnik News.
The source further indicated that targets were selected using US military satellites, and HIMARS operated in a Hit and Run manner, rapidly changing their position after firing to avoid retaliation, and never returning to the position where they had previously been deployed.
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In addition, the source said that each time a salvo of HIMARS was launched, they were protected by several additional salvos of less advanced artillery, such as the Uragan and Smerch, with the aim of meeting Russian air defenses and depleting ammunition before HIMARS was launched. HIMARS called moving moved and fired in the middle of the night.
“Ukrainian MLRS crews participating in joint strikes knew nothing about their joint operations with HIMARS, and often did not even realize they were a cover for HIMARS launches. They were only informed about the launch time and the coordinates of the target," the source said.
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