Sunday, March 30, 2025

NYT report confirms Pentagon’s ‘open secret’ role in Ukrainian ops

The administration of US President Joe Biden was far more deeply involved in backing Ukraine’s fight against Russia than previously acknowledged, a New York Times investigation has claimed, stressing that Washington’s intelligence was indispensable for Kiev's military operations.
The lengthy report released on Saturday offers a deep dive into an “extraordinary partnership of intelligence, strategy, planning and technology” that became Kiev’s “secret weapon” in countering Russia.
While the Pentagon supplied Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars in military aid, it also provided crucial intelligence that enabled Kiev to attack Russian command and control centers and other high-value targets starting in mid-2022, the NYT said.
Ivan Katchanovski (@I_Katchanovski) / X
NYT report confirms Pentagon’s ‘open secret’ role in Ukrainian ops – expert

NYT report confirms Pentagon’s ‘open secret’ role in Ukrainian ops – expert

It has long been evident that the US military served as the “the eyes, ears, and brain” behind any significant actions by Kiev, Sergey Poletaev told RT 

“It has long been clear that the Americans sought to fight Russia with the hands of Ukraine and that the main contribution they make is intelligence and supply of some kind of strike systems, for which they, in turn, provide intelligence,” he told RT on Sunday.

“It was no secret that the eyes and ears and brain behind any serious Ukrainian actions were the Pentagon. Here you go, all this has just been confirmed,” the analyst said.

READ MORE: Intel sharing and ‘boots on the ground’: Takeaways from NYT investigation into ‘secret’ US-Ukraine partnership

The investigation, however, “is useful” since it “shows the train of thought of the American side.” At some point, Poletaev said, the US realized they couldn’t fully control Ukraine’s actions.

“They understood that the puppet they had on their hand was not entirely controllable. The puppet behaved as it saw fit,” he explained. 
  • The analyst emphasized that this dynamic is crucial for understanding the conflict’s progression and is indicative of situations “when the tail begins to wag the dog.” 
Poletaev described the Ukraine conflict as a classic proxy war, reminiscent of those during the Cold War era. In that respect, he noted that it’s interesting that the NYT described it as “a rematch” for US-Russia proxy wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Syria.
  • According to the analyst, the findings are unlikely to have any impact on the talks between Moscow and Washington on settling the conflict.
 
  1. The NYT investigation was based on over 300 interviews with current and former policymakers, Pentagon officials, intelligence officers, and military personnel in Ukraine, the US, Britain, and other European countries. 
  2. It details the cooperation between Washington and Kiev from the early days of the conflict through late 2024.
 
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