Putin did not consider Ukraine Drone attacks.

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The speaker of Russia’s State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, on Saturday accused the U.S. of being directly involved in military operations against Russia in Ukraine. Mr. Volodin’s comments add to growing concern of a looming direct conflict between the U.S. and Russia following reports that the U.S. shared operational intelligence with Kyiv that Ukrainian forces used to kill Russian generals and sink Russia’s Black Sea flagship. “Washington is essentially coordinating and developing military operations, thereby directly participating in military actions against our country,” Mr. Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel, according to Reuters. Western leaders have walked a fine line in providing lethal aid to Ukraine over concern for further escalating the conflict and fear of being drawn into direct war with nuclear-armed Russia. President Biden and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg have repeatedly said the NATO troops would not get involved in the fighting. Last month, Russia warned that U.S. and NATO weapons shipments to Ukraine could have “unpredictable consequences.” In a letter forwarded to the State Department by the Russian Embassy in Washington, the Kremlin said the U.S. and NATO shipments of “most sensitive” weapons to Ukraine were “adding fuel” to the conflict. “We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which implies unpredictable consequences for regional and international security,” the letter said. The U.S. has also begun providing intelligence to Ukraine to help thwart Russia’s assault. Earlier this week, the New York Times citing senior officials, reported that U.S. intelligence has been used by Ukrainian forces to target and kill Russian generals. Ukraine has claimed to have killed approximately 12 generals in battle since the start of the war. NBC News also reported this week that U.S. intelligence was used by Ukraine to target and sink Russia’s flagship, the Moskva, last month — marking a significant strategic blow to Moscow. President Biden called the media reports counterproductive. “It is irresponsible, it’s very risky, it’s dangerous when people talk too much,” CIA Director Bill Burns said Saturday at the FT Weekend Festival in Washington. “Whether it’s leaking in private or talking in public about specific intelligence issues.” Drone footage reportedly showing a Ukrainian Bayraktar drone shows the craft destroying a Russian Raptor attack craft near Snake Island in the Black Sea. According to the Ukrainian Navy, this was one of two Russian patrol vessels destroyed on Monday morning. In a post on Facebook Ukraine’s Chief of General Staff, Valeriy Zaluzhniy reported that two Raptor-class vessels were destroyed in the dawn attack near Snake Island. The Russian Raptors were reportedly evacuating Russian military personnel from Snake Island and replacing them with new troops. The high-speed vessels are designed for landing operations, search and rescue, and patrolling. They can travel a maximum distance of 100 miles from base. A similar Turkish-made Bayraktar unmanned drone was used to destroy the Russian flagship Moskva last month. In late April, Russia announced the “second phase” of its “special operation” in Ukraine. With its attempt to capture Kyiv failing, Moscow is now focused on gaining complete control of the Donbas region in the east and Ukraine’s southern region. The objective is to give Russia a land bridge to Crimea, the region Russia annexed in 2014. However, some US officials believe that adding control of the entire south to its territorial objective may be more than Russia can achieve, creating additional logistical problems, like maintaining the flow of supplies of ammunition, food, and fuel – problems that have already dogged Russian forces throughout this invasion. Just a week into the so-called “second phase,” Russian forces around Donbas have already found themselves split while fighting continues in Mariupol and along the thinly-deployed 250-mile southern front.