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damage control. This is currently the top priority of the US government. In early April, a stack of classified documents surfaced containing military assessments of the war in Ukraine and CIA reports on a range of hot topics. Some were released in early March on Discord, a chat site popular with video game enthusiasts, according to research platform Bellingcat. Some classified information had already surfaced in January.
The release of these documents is one of the most significant intelligence leaks of this century. That is what Thomas Rid (48) of Johns Hopkins University says to the American magazine ‘The Economist’. At best, the data theft by Edward Snowden (39), a former NSA employee, in 2013 and the disclosure of NSA and CIA hacking tools in 2016 and 2017 are equally valuable.
Figures published on Ukrainian and Russian military personnel
Probably the most sensitive documents describe the state of Ukrainian air defense. This is in a desolate state after repeatedly fending off Russian drone and missile attacks. Ukraine’s ability to protect its front lines will be “completely limited” by May 23, the conclusion said.
On Monday, the Ukrainian government responded in an attempt to downplay the leaked information. Mykhailo Podolyak, 51, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, 45, said the documents were based “on a large amount of fictitious information” and had nothing to do with Ukraine’s actual military plans.
But the picture is not rosy for the Russian troops either. They would have lost more than twice as many soldiers as Ukraine. Russia’s “exhaustive campaign” in the east will “go to a stalemate” and the result is likely to be “a protracted post-2023 war”.
Documents would prove a large NATO presence in Ukraine
A slide also shows that there are 97 special forces from NATO countries in Ukraine. This proves what Russia has been claiming since the beginning of the war: the country is not only at war with Ukraine, but also with NATO. The fear of a direct confrontation continues to grow.
Douglas London, a former CIA officer, told Foreign Policy: “While the Kremlin will try to use the leaks to divide US allies, the real Russian casualties and incompetence could be just as damaging to the Russian leader as it is to the US. .”
That’s how much damage the leak can do
The documents will have far-reaching political implications. The leak confirms that US intelligence has made remarkable inroads into Russia. This also poses a risk to US informants in Russia.
The leaks could shake US allies’ confidence in Washington’s ability to keep secrets. And the documents point to attempts by the US to wiretap senior Ukrainian officials, which could erode trust between Washington and Kiev. “If something like this had happened in the UK, Israel, Germany or Australia,” Rid told The Economist, “the US would have stopped sharing information.”
How real are the documents?
It is still unclear who published these documents and for what purpose. Some believe it is a US defense insider who decided to get the truth out. Others say it’s a troll just trying to cause trouble. However, the identity of the whistleblower will probably never be proven.
Pentagon officials confirmed that the leaks are indeed legitimate Defense Department documents, but said some appear to have been altered. The US Justice Department said it has opened an investigation into the apparent leaks, but declined to comment further. According to reports, these documents may be just the tip of the iceberg of documents already in circulation.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
