TV channel reports Ukraine has changed “some military plans” due to leak of classified Pentagon documents CNN He cites an anonymous source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. CNN doesn’t specify exactly what the changes were or how big they were.
“Ukraine has already changed some of its military plans due to information leaks,” CNN said in a news report.
The publication points out that information about the plight of the Ukrainian army in early March (lack of ammunition and insufficient personnel of the shock troops) was leaked at a critical moment in Kiev’s preparations for the counterattack, which led to the disruption of some plans. to be revised
CNN says part of the archive “reveals significant deficiencies in Ukrainian weapons, air defense, battalion size and readiness.”
Additionally, the published documents showed that the United States had been spying not only on potential enemies, but also on its allies, particularly Israel, South Korea and Ukraine. This could jeopardize important international relations and endanger the secret resources of US agencies, writes CNN.
Wiretapping by Ukrainian authorities
In total, the TV channel examined 53 “leaked” documents, possibly related to the period from mid-February to early March. One of them confirms that the US is spying on the President of Ukraine and eavesdropping on his conversations.
“This is not surprising,” a CNN source close to Zelensky told CNN. But according to him, Ukrainian officials were “deeply disappointed” by the leak.
Citing an American intelligence report, the TV channel notes that at the end of February, Zelensky “proposed to attack the places where Russian troops are stationed in the Rostov region of Russia with the help of drones,” because Ukraine has been absent for a long time. ranged weapons.
These data, according to CNN reporters, could explain the reluctance of the US authorities to supply Ukraine with long-range missile systems – fears that Kiev will use them to hit Russian territory.
Leakage or tampering
Two US officials met Reuters They admitted that the published documents, including those containing data on the state of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, could be forged, provided that their name was not disclosed.
In their view, documents can be falsified to mislead researchers or harm US interests. Independent verification of the authenticity of the documents has yet to be made, and the Pentagon has said it has previously begun verifying their authenticity.
“The Department of Defense continues to verify and evaluate the authenticity of photographed documents circulating on social media that appear to contain classified and highly classified material,” the agency said.
Reuters sources think the depth of the issues reflected in the documents suggests that the archives were published by a US citizen. Currently, the investigation is investigating the causes of the leak. A US official speaking on condition of anonymity told the publication that investigators are looking at four or five theories to explain the cause, from a disgruntled employee to an internal threat aimed at undermining US national security.
Biggest leak since Snowden
Confidential US intelligence documents surfaced in the media and social networks last week. In total, more than 100 dossiers have been released on American national security in Ukraine, China, and the Middle East, as well as surveillance of Washington’s allies and enemies. The Telegraph described the incident as the biggest leak of secrets since Edward Snowden and a “deafening failure” by American intelligence agencies.
The New York Times was the first to report the discovery of top secret files on the network on the night of April 7. He pointed out that various internet platforms, in particular Telegram and Twitter, are literally “full” of material with detailed information about the US and NATO’s plans to assist Ukraine before the spring counterattack.
The documents did not provide specific information about its history and location, but detailed Ukraine’s intention to create a possible number of brigades to participate in the offensive and the amount of military equipment that Kiev could receive from the allies. The archives also talked about the problems of the Ukrainian army, especially the shortage of ammunition.
A senior Ukrainian official told The Washington Post that “the leak has angered Kiev’s military and political leadership, who are trying to hide security vulnerabilities related to ammunition shortages and other war data from the Kremlin.”
The New York Times also claims that American intelligence was able to obtain information from almost all Russian departments and intelligence agencies, which allowed Washington to warn the Ukrainian leadership about the timing of Russia’s planned attacks and even specific targets.
According to The Washington Post, the leaked documents caused a stir in the Pentagon and are “probably real”. Defense Department spokeswoman Sabrina Singh announced that an “interagency team” has been formed to assess the impact of the release of confidential data.