US shared intelligence before Ukraine sank Russian warship, says official

Russian navy missile cruiser Moskva on patrol in December 2015. (Picture: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP

The US has said it shared intelligence with Ukraine about the location of the Russian missile cruiser Moskva prior to the strike that sank the warship, an incident that was a high-profile failure for Russia’s military.

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