West intel help, arms supply to Ukraine will not hinder 'special operation' goals: Kremlin

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian military is well aware of the West's intelligence collaboration and arms supplies to Ukraine, but these actions will not hinder special operations goals, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Speaking at a press briefing in Moscow, Peskov said such actions, along with arms supplies, "do not contribute to the quick completion of the special military operation."

At the same time, these actions cannot hinder achieving the goals, set before the Russian troops entered Ukraine, he said.

"Our military is well aware that the United States, Great Britain, (and) NATO members constantly transmit intelligence and other parameters to the Ukrainian armed forces. This is well known.

"Together with the arms shipments that these same countries and the North Atlantic Alliance are sending to Ukraine, these are actions that do not contribute to the rapid completion of the operation. But at the same time (such actions) are not capable of preventing the achievement of the set goals during a special military operation," he said.

At least 3,280 civilians have been killed and 3,451 others injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war on the country on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

More than 5.7 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, data from the UN refugee agency show.