U.S. Intelligence Support for Ukraine Strikes in Russia
Recently, it has come to light that the United States quietly permitted Ukraine to utilize U.S. intelligence for attacks within Russian territory, using British-supplied long-range missiles. This occurred earlier this week, according to multiple sources.
A Storm Shadow cruise missile successfully struck a Russian explosives and rocket fuel facility in the Bryansk region, situated on the Ukraine-Belarus border. This attack marked a notable breach of Russia’s air defenses, as indicated by Ukraine’s military chief of staff.
The Storm Shadow missile can reach targets about 180 miles away, which, while impressive, is significantly shorter than the 1,500-mile range of the American Tomahawk missile.
Although the weapons themselves were not American-made, U.S. defense officials indicated that the United States had input on the targets due to Ukraine’s dependence on American intelligence.
The Wall Street Journal first broke the news regarding the U.S. role in these operations. Following the Bryansk attack, President Trump took to Truth Social to vehemently deny the report.
“The Wall Street Journal article about the US authorizing Ukraine to use long-range missiles deep into Russia is FAKE NEWS!” he asserted. “The United States has nothing to do with where those missiles came from or what Ukraine is doing about it!”
New intelligence guidelines allow Ukraine to take actions directly within Russian territory, even as President Trump expresses frustration over Russia’s lack of genuine efforts to resolve the ongoing conflict.
This shift in U.S. policy wasn’t made public right away. It followed a transition of authority for cross-border strikes from Army Secretary Pete Hegseth to Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewicz, who serves as the top U.S. and NATO commander in Europe, as explained by a senior congressional aide.
At the beginning of Trump’s term, the Pentagon had imposed stringent limitations on Ukraine’s ability to execute operations beyond its borders. For months, Hegseth held ultimate authority over any offensive action inside Russia. So, the Bryansk strike could only go ahead after this authority was passed back to Grynkewicz earlier this month.
This change in command came after the War Department had previously halted or postponed arms shipments to Ukraine multiple times.
The White House appears to be ramping up pressure on the Kremlin to engage in negotiations, even going so far as to send Tomahawk missiles, which are made in the U.S., to Ukraine.
Although President Trump stepped back from endorsing the idea publicly, he did implement sanctions on two of Moscow’s leading oil exporters, targeting a key funding source for Putin’s military actions.
Ukraine has already made strikes on Russian refineries and storage sites using its own drones and short-range missiles. President Trump has approved the sharing of U.S. intelligence on targets for these operations.
The U.S. has also recently cleared the sale of over 3,300 extended-range attack missiles to Ukraine, capable of reaching up to 420 miles, which should further bolster Kyiv’s military capabilities.
The Pentagon directed all inquiries to the White House, which did not provide immediate comments.
