“We have been in contact with the Department of Defense on this matter and have started an investigation,” a spokesman for the Department of Justice in Washington told the AFP news agency on Saturday evening (local time). The Pentagon said Friday it was investigating the leak and had officially notified the Justice Department of the matter.
Secret service documents on the Ukrainian offensive surfaced
A number of secret government documents have recently appeared on online platforms such as Twitter, Telegram and Discord. Among them were secret documents on US and NATO plans to help Ukraine prepare for a spring offensive against Russia, according to a New York Times report on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, the documents should contain details about arms deliveries, battalion strengths and other sensitive information. A document summarizes the training plans of twelve Ukrainian combat brigades. According to the New York Times, the documents were distributed through pro-Russian channels.
Experts warn against targeted counterfeiting
US government officials told the Washington Post that some of the documents appeared to have been tampered with. However, many of the documents are consistent with the reports of the US foreign intelligence service CIA on the international situation, which are intended for senior levels of the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department.
Experts warned that some of the documents may have been deliberately falsified as part of a Russian disinformation campaign. For example, higher fatalities among the Ukrainian troops and lower Russian losses were reported.
