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USA’s Secret War Document Leaked: Before the papers emerged on Twitter and Telegram, according to Bellingcat, an open source intelligence research company monitoring the Military leaks, they first appeared on a Minecraft Discord channel.
The Department of Defense has launched an official inquiry into one of the greatest reported leaks of classified US military data in the past ten years, which may make American backing for Ukraine more difficult just before Kyiv launched a significant attack.
During the past several weeks, several documents have surfaced on social media platforms; some of them are purportedly only meant for those with the highest levels of US security clearance.
From American views of the conflict in Ukraine to intelligence obtained on diplomatic friends, the information covers a wide variety of subjects.
What is in the documents?
The early document disclosures, according to the New York Times and other media, were concentrated on American assessments of the situation in Ukraine that were initially produced in February and March. Check out video here
Considering projected losses on both sides as well as what supplies and weapons Kyiv would need in the future.
The records show that Ukraine is losing a lot of soldiers in the conflict, particularly in Bakhmut.
The “severe shortages of air defence ammunition” are also described.
Bakhmut Battle
According to the released documents, in late February of this year, Russian forces came dangerously close to encircling the Ukrainian military in the town of Bakhmut, which had been the scene of intense combat for several months.
Although the director of military intelligence for Ukraine called the situation “catastrophic,” a senior Ukrainian military official noted that the soldiers’ morale at the time was poor since there wasn’t enough ammunition to fight.
Monitoring its pals.
Moreover, it seems from the revelations that the US is eavesdropping on Ukraine’s senior military and government figures. And the snooping continues after that.
The released documents also revealed that Washington is eavesdropping on its friends, which may be detrimental to American diplomatic relations.
Hesitance to supply Arms to Ukraine
The documents have also revealed information about American allies, who are still dubious about arming Kyiv. For instance, South Korea worried that the US would send weapons to Ukraine when it sent artillery rounds to assist it to replace its stockpiles.
According to NYT, the Asian nation’s officials are “caught between Washington’s insistence on Seoul to assist in supplying ammunition to Ukraine and its stated stance of avoiding giving lethal weapons to countries at war.” Also check: Ukraine to get more military aid from Canada
Israel has voiced its reluctance to transfer its weaponry to Kyiv. Although the nation has declined to provide any deadly weaponry, it is assisting Ukraine in creating a unique, intelligent early-warning system.
This may soon change, though, since it has been revealed in the stolen documents that Israel may provide Ukraine with powerful defence weapons via third parties in the coming months.
Protest in Israel
Also, papers show that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad pushed its personnel and residents to take part in the anti-government demonstrations that paralysed the nation earlier in March.
Rise of The Wagner Group
The Wagner Group is attempting to destabilise US activities in Africa and is allegedly owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin. They are obtaining weaponry from a base in Mali.
It is expanding its influence in Haiti and all of Africa. One of the revelations is that Wagner wanted to buy weapons from NATO partner Turkey.
Where did the Documents Appear?
In recent weeks, the hacked material has appeared on many social media websites and applications, including Twitter and YouTube.
According to independent investigative news source Bellingcat, the papers first looked to have been released on obscure websites. Includes a Minecraft channel on Discord, a well-liked instant chat service for gamers.
Is this Russia’s Plan?
An aide to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the New York Times that the papers were “fictional,” and Ukraine has officially rejected them as Russian misinformation.
The adviser was quoted in the paper as stating, “It’s standard conduct. Russia is attempting to influence Ukrainian society, spread fear, terror, mistrust, and doubt.”
In the meanwhile, President Joseph Biden’s Ukrainian policy was said to have caused divides inside the US, according to Russian official media Sputnik. A government spokesman told CNN that the records revealed the US had a close role in the conflict in Ukraine.
Other Countries’ Reaction
The disclosures undoubtedly placed the US in an embarrassing situation. The US’s ally France responded on Saturday to the disclosures that showed French forces were stationed in Ukraine.
According to a representative for Sébastien Lecornu, the minister of the armed forces, “There is no French military involved in action in Ukraine.”
Even Israel’s Mossad responded on Sunday, dismissing the claims made in the exposed documents as “mendacious and devoid of any basis whatsoever.” The leak has angered South Korea as well, and according to CNN, the government there intends to complain to Washington.
Although stating to the ABC that it was looking for “additional information,” Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Conclusion
It’s quite improbable that the papers can now be deleted or buried given how broadly they have been distributed online. In a tweet last week, Elon Musk made fun of the concept of potentially deleting the records from the internet. The White House insisted that steps were being taken to delete the content.
