The United States has raised its two best spies over Ukraine

 

 On Monday, several of the best American reconnaissance planes flew over eastern Ukraine less than 70 kilometers from territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists, writes Forbes.

The pair from the US Air Force, consisting of an E-8C ground surveillance aircraft and an RC-135V radio reconnaissance aircraft, completed one of the first flight missions in Ukraine's airspace - at least in terms of missions that are becoming public. Meanwhile, US intelligence officers took to the air for the first time in nine months after Russia deployed a powerful military group on Ukraine's border.

 This configuration has 100,000 troops, 1,200 tanks and a large number of other military equipment. At the same time, despite the fact that only a few days ago Russia returned some of its troops to the places of permanent deployment, it still has enough forces to launch an offensive.

At the same time, the diplomatic solution is still fully feasible: after a telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, during which Biden warned Putin of potential economic sanctions in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, Moscow and Washington agreed for new talks scheduled for January 10th.

 At the same time, Washington began to actively support Kiev. In particular, the United States recently donated billions of dollars worth of radars, patrol boats and anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. The Americans are now gathering intelligence in Ukrainian airspace and apparently sharing it with Kiev.

The E-8C and RC-135V complement each other perfectly: if the E-8C detects moving targets on the ground with radar, thanks to which it can track a ground group in real time, then the RC-135V is a radio reconnaissance aircraft. The first plane detects tanks and other ground equipment, the second intercepts their communication. As a result, this duo could give the United States an idea of ​​Russian forces.

 At the same time, this flight also suggests that the United States has both modern and unstable intelligence methods. This is due to the fact that the US Air Force will abandon most of this equipment, as large and slow E-8s are unlikely to survive close to enemy air defenses in the event of war.

"However, the flight into Ukrainian airspace for reconnaissance is a significant event. At the same time, in the coming years, the Pentagon may find it more difficult to replicate this achievement, "Forbes said.