The U.S. provided targeting information that helped Ukrainian forces locate and strike the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet in April, the New York Times reported on May 5. When Ukraine successfully targeted Russia's prized warship last month with anti-ship cruise missiles, it had some help from the United States, another sign that the administration is easing its self-imposed limitations on how far it will go in helping Ukraine fight Russia, U.S. officials said.

The targeting help, which contributed to the eventual sinking of the flagship, the Moskva, is part of a continuing classified effort by the Biden administration to provide real-time battlefield intelligence to Ukraine. That intelligence also includes sharing anticipated Russian troop movements, gleaned from a recent American assessment of Moscow's battle plan for the fighting in the Donbas region.