Pentagon denies US involvement in helping Ukraine navy attack Russian fleet: Report

The Pentagon has denied Russian claims that the US used surveillance drones over the Black Sea to help the Ukrainian navy attack Russian vessels, CNN reported. 

As per CNN, the Russian defence ministry spokesperson said in a statement, “On the evening of February 25, during the evacuation of 82 Ukrainian servicemen who voluntarily laid down their arms from Zmeiny [Zmiiny] Island, 16 boats of the Ukrainian Navy, using the ‘swarm tactics,’ tried to attack the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. During the attack by Ukrainian boats over the provocation area, US strategic unmanned aerial vehicles RQ-4 ‘Global Hawk’ and MQ-9A ‘Reaper’ were overhead”, and added, “It is highly likely that it was American UAVs that directed Ukrainian boats at the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet”.

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However, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby contradicted this, saying, “Russian claims that the United States was involved in any way with Ukrainian naval operations near the Zmiiny Island are false. We did not provide ISR or any other support. Chalk this up to just one more lie by the Russian Ministry of Defense”, CNN reported. 

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The Russian spokesperson noted that six boats of the Ukrainian navy had been destroyed, according to CNN, which also reported him saying that none of the 84 servicemen from the island, which is also known as Snake Island, had been injured. 

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that 13 Ukrainians had died due to Russian bombardment on the island on Thursday. 

The situation between Ukraine and Russia has worsened after months of troop buildup at the former’s border. President Vladimir Putin escalated the situation by recognizing the Ukrainian breakaway regions to be independent and then sending Russian troops to those territories as peacekeeping forces. This was followed by orders to “denazify” and “demilitarize” Ukraine.