Russia accuses US of direct Ukraine war role, grain ship anchors off Turkish coast
03 August, 2022
Russia on Tuesday (Aug 2) accused the United States of direct involvement in the Ukraine war while the first ship carrying Ukrainian grain to world markets since Moscow's invasion anchored safely off Turkey's coast after a problem-free journey.
Russia said it was responding to comments by Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine's deputy head of military intelligence, about the way Kyiv had used US-made and supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers based on what he called excellent satellite imagery and real-time information.
Skibitsky told Britain's Telegraph newspaper there was consultation between US and Ukrainian intelligence officials before strikes and that Washington had an effective veto on intended targets, though he said US officials were not providing direct targeting information. Russia's defence ministry, headed by a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, said the interview showed that Washington was entangled in the conflict despite repeated assertions that it was limiting its role to arms supplies because it did not want a direct confrontation with Moscow.
"All this undeniably proves that Washington, contrary to White House and Pentagon claims, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
"It is the Biden administration that 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."
There was no immediate reaction from the White House or Pentagon to the ministry's assertions.
The Pentagon did deny, however, Moscow's claims that Russia had destroyed six US-made HIMARS since the war in Ukraine began on Feb 24. Russia regularly claims it has hit HIMARS, but has yet to show proof.
Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of carrying out devastating missile attacks on civilian targets on an almost daily basis. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.
The accuracy and long range of missile systems provided by the West were intended to reduce Russia's artillery advantage, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday night said that despite those supplies, his country's forces could not yet overcome Russian advantages in heavy guns and manpower.
"This is very much felt in combat, especially in the Donbas ... It is just hell there. Words cannot describe it," he said.
SAFE PASSAGE
Meanwhile, a Jul 22 UN-brokered deal to unblock the export of Ukrainian grain had an initial success - Turkey said that the first loaded ship since Russia's invasion more than five months ago was safely anchored off the Turkish coast.
The vessel, the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni was at the entrance of the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black Sea to world markets, around 1800 GMT on Tuesday, some 36 hours after leaving the Ukrainian port of Odesa.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com