Classified war documents detailing US and NATO plans to strengthen Ukraine’s armed forces ahead of the planned counteroffensive against Russia were leaked on social media this week.
According to a report by The New York Times released this Friday, senior United States government officials headed by Joe Biden confirmed this leak of information.
The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) is investigating those possibly responsible for the disclosure of the documents, which appeared on Twitter and Telegram, a platform with more than 500 million users and widely available in Russia, the newspaper recalls.
Military analysts said the documents appear to have been modified in certain parts from their original format, overestimating US estimates of Ukrainian war deaths and underestimating the number of Russian soldiers killed.
The changes could point to a disinformation effort by Moscow, analysts stressed.
However, the disclosures in the original documents, which appear as chart photographs of advanced weapons deliveries, troop and battalion strengths and other plans, represent a significant breach of US intelligence in the Ukraine relief effort, The New York Times.
Biden government officials were working to exclude them until Thursday night, but they had not succeeded, he adds.
“We are aware of the reports of social media postings and the Department is investigating the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary.
The documents do not provide specific battle plans, or how, when and where Ukraine intends to launch its offensive, which US officials say is likely to take place next month.
As the documents are five weeks old, they provide the US-Ukrainian vision on March 1 of what Ukrainian troops may need for the campaign, The New York Times further notes.
Analysts said Friday that it is difficult, for now and in the coming months, to assess the impact of the disclosure of the documents.
This alleged leak is the first Russian intelligence breakthrough to be made public since the start of the war.
Since February 2022, the United States has provided Ukraine with information on command posts, ammunition depots and other important points on Russian military lines, which allowed major offensives by Kiev forces, the newspaper recalls.
Source: TSF
