U.S. provided intelligence that helped Ukraine sink Russian warship
Source: Washington Post
The Russian missile cruiser Moskva, shown in 2008 in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, was sunk in the Black Sea in April. (AP)
The United States provided Ukraine with intelligence that helped Kyiv attack and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, in one of the most dramatic battlefield successes of the 71-day old war, according to people familiar with the matter. The missile strike by Ukrainian forces in April, an extraordinary embarrassment for the Kremlin that deprived Russia of a key vessel in its military campaign, may not have been possible without the U.S. assistance, these people said, underscoring how deeply Washington has become enmeshed in Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
It is unclear how many Russian sailors died in the attack, but U.S. officials believe there were significant casualties.Despite providing intelligence on the Moskva, the United States had “no prior awareness” of Ukraine’s decision to strike the warship, a U.S. official said. The official noted that the U.S. government shares maritime awareness with Ukraine to help the nation defend against threats. Russian vessels in the Black Sea have been launching missiles at Ukraine — and could be used to support an amphibious assault on the country, the official said.
Military analysts and experts have praised the Ukrainian military’s strength and ingenuity as it repels a larger Russian force that many believed was more sophisticated and technically superior. But the U.S. intelligence has also given the Ukrainian forces a significant advantage, allowing them to locate Russian forces, equipment, and command and control centers.
Absent the intelligence from the United States, Ukraine would have struggled to target the warship with the confidence necessary to expend two valuable Neptune missiles, which were in short supply, according to the people familiar with the strike, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. NBC News first reported that the United States had provided intelligence on the Moskva.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/05/05/us-intelligence-ukraine-moskva-sinking/
= new reply since forum marked as read
thanks to a whole network of satellites overhead that have probably mapped the whole area. 
I also think there is some "self-sabotage" going on right across the border too as a protest...
Looks like the pic is showing it releasing what looks like, to my weather hobby eys, is a dropsonde. Seems too small to be ordinance since that is a patrol craft (although I expect it might still be armed with something but is obviously not a bomber per se).
I know various military aircraft doing reconnaissance release those to get the current conditions (temperature, pressure, dewpoint/humidity, wind speed/direction from the drop altitude, all the way down to the surface).
(am guessing the Navy can drop the ones that float like a buoy to provide the water conditions)
They all have that same basic shape!
...reminds me of
...
is still at the bottom of the sea.
https://www.wrecksite.eu/docBrowser.aspx?87
