Ukraine war: American intelligence is the victim of a major leak
Classified documents have been circulating on social media. They detail the situation of the Ukrainian army, the contours of its future offensive, and many details of Western support to Kyiv
On April 6, 2023, the New-York Times revealed a large leak of data from the American intelligence concerning the war in Ukraine. The stolen documents were widely distributed on social media, including Twitter and Telegram. On April 10, 2023, the Pentagon acknowledged that this leak of classified documents posed a « very serious » risk to U.S. national security.
In detail, several documents give an update on the state of the conflict in Ukraine on 1 March 2023, and on the Ukrainian offensive expected for this month of April 2023. Various tables indicate the planned deliveries of Western arms, human and material losses, and the number of Ukrainian battalions.
The leak also reveals that 12 combat brigades will be assembled for this spring’s offensive, nine of which are trained and equipped by the United States and its NATO allies. Six were to be ready by March 31, 2023, with another six by April 30.
Other documents detail the situation on particular fronts, such as Bakhmut, or Kyiv’s anti-aircraft defenses. Most of the documents appear to be authentic, although some have obviously been altered to underestimate Russian losses. However, the whole would show that the Ukrainian military situation is less advantageous than indicated by the official communication.
The exposed data also proves that the United States has managed to infiltrate Russian security and intelligence services in depth. The source of the leak has not been officially identified. The US Attorney General has opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
Some of the documents contain sensitive information that goes beyond the Ukrainian conflict. They concern Canada, China, Israel, South Korea, as well as the « military theaters of the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East« .