Joint operations with Poland
According to Vadym Skibitsky, cooperation between Ukraine and Poland is “very high”, the countries to actualize joint operations
“Cooperation with Poland is at a very high level, almost 90 percent of military aid comes from there. We are talking about very close cooperation and joint operations with our partners.”
The representative of the main intelligence department of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine added that in the field of military intelligence “almost everything from information to equipment” is provided by the USA and the UK.
At the same time, Skibitsky declined to say exactly how London contributed, but explained that the aid was “any and every minute information in real time”.
US consultations
The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine also said in an interview that Kiev consulted with the United States before using the HIMARS MLRS. At the same time, the US can cancel strikes “if they are not satisfied with the intended target”.
According to him, when using HIMARS, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are guided by “information received in real time.” But US officials do not provide direct guidance, as they do not want to be seen as a party to the conflict.
Skibitsky noted that before launching the missiles, there was a level of consultation between US and Ukrainian intelligence officials that allowed Washington to halt possible attacks if it was not satisfied with the intended target.
At the same time, Skibitsky did not specify whether British and American satellites were used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the bombardment, but noted that the military had “very good pictures”.
“We have very good cooperation with our partners in the UK in this area. “We have very good relations with all relevant intelligence services,” he said.
Delivery of MLRS HIMARS to Ukraine
The article also states that Britain helped Ukraine “hunt for Russian spies” who “watched for Western military aid” delivered to Kiev. According to the publication, “The destruction of military aid to Ukraine from the West is the number one target of Russian agents.”
The US authorities have been supplying HIMARS MLRS to Ukraine since June 1, when these facilities were included in a $700 million military aid package, the Pentagon then promised to transfer to the Ukrainian Armed Forces the necessary data for strikes and MLRS.
On July 20, it became known that the United States, together with its allies, intends to transfer more than 20 multiple rocket launchers to Kiev, 12 of which have already been delivered. Chief of Staff of the US Armed Forces, General Mark Milley, said that the Americans had trained 200 Ukrainians in the use of HIMARS, and they plan to train more military personnel of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In turn, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin announced that HIMARS MLRS shells supplied to Ukraine can hit targets at a distance of 80 kilometers. According to him, this is a “pretty good range”.
He added that further arms deliveries will depend on the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and how they conduct combat operations.
On the same day, on July 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with RIA Novosti and RT that the geographical objectives of the military special operation have changed, that it is no longer limited to the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Geographical tasks will go even further if Western countries continue to supply Kiev with long-range weapons.
On July 27, retired US Marine Colonel Mark Kanchian told The Drive that Ukraine could run out of missiles within four months if the US supplies additional HIMARS MLRS to Kiev.
According to him, Kyiv should not worry about the amount of equipment that demands another 100 installations, but about the number of shells for it.
“As long as you only have 12 or 20 HIMARS systems, there will be no use issues in the short term. Once you start getting more (sets), I think you might run out of (bullets) in the fourth month,” Kanchian said.