The Pentagon has said it is investigating the leak, and three U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday that Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified U.S. military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine.
The Justice Department said the documents appeared to have been altered to minimize the number of casualties suffered by Russian forces, though they cautioned that their evaluations were unofficial and unrelated to the leak investigation.
Due to the sensitivity of the matter, the U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity and declined to discuss the documents in detail.
There was no immediate response to requests for comment from the Kremlin or the Russian embassy in Washington.
An initial batch of documents dated March 1 and marked “Secret” and “Top Secret” circulated on social media platforms including Twitter and Telegram.
The New York Times reported that a second batch of alleged national security secrets pertaining to Ukraine, the Middle East, and China appeared on social media later on Friday.
Reuters was unable to confirm the documents’ authenticity.
The U.S. Justice Department announced late Friday that it was in contact with the Defense Department and had launched an investigation into the leak. but declined to comment further.
This kind of confidential information being leaked is extremely rare.
Sabreena Singh, a spokesperson for the Pentagon, stated, “We are aware of the reports of social media posts, and the Department (of Defense) is reviewing the matter.”
A CIA spokesperson stated that the agency was aware of the posts and investigating the allegations.
A document shared on social media stated that 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
U.S. officials have stated that they believe the actual number to be around 200,000 Russians killed and wounded.
Russia’s initial advance on Kyiv was repelled by Ukrainian forces early in 2022, and the conflict, which Moscow refers to as a “special military operation,” has evolved into trench warfare in the east and south.
In the second year of the war, much speculation surrounded the offensives that Kiev and Moscow may launch.
The leaked documents did not appear to provide any specific information regarding Kiev’s war plans.
On Friday, a senior Ukrainian presidential official said the leak appeared to be part of a Russian disinformation campaign designed to cast doubt on the sincerity of Ukraine’s upcoming counteroffensive.
“These are merely standard elements of Russian intelligence’s operational games. Nothing further “Mykhailo Podolyak declared in a written declaration.
