Official: US gave intel before Ukraine sank Russian warship

FILE - In this photo provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Russian navy missile cruiser Moskva is on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea near the Syrian coast on Dec. 17, 2015. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. says it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship.

The incident was a high-profile failure for Russia’s military.

An American official said Thursday that Ukraine alone decided to target and sink the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet using its own anti-ship missiles.

The official says that given Russia’s attacks on the Ukrainian coastline from the sea, the U.S. has provided “a range of intelligence” that includes the locations of those ships.

Russia said one sailor was killed and 27 others were missing following the attack. Nearly 400 Russian sailors had to be evacuated.

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