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Secret service employee and gamer Jack Teixeira (21) caused the largest data breach of the past ten years with the Pentagon leaks. He is said to have shared secret documents about the war in Ukraine in a chat group on the Discord platform popular with video gamers. The documents were later shared on Telegram.
How exactly the documents of the closed Discord channel became public is unclear. According to the Wall Street Journal, a social media account called Donbass Devushka (“The Girl from Donbass”) played a key role in the spread.
Four documents posted
An alleged Russian blogger is behind the blog, which has been posted on various social media networks for several years. “The Girl from Donbass” is one of the prominent online voices supporting Russia’s war against Ukraine.
In reality, however, the account is managed by Sarah Bils, 37, a former US Navy corporal. In an interview with «WSJ», Bils confirms that she is the manager of Donbass Devushka. However, she is not alone – she runs the channel with 14 people around the world. Bils does not want to reveal who the other participants are.
It wasn’t until “The Girl from Donbass” shared four of the classified documents on her Twitter account with some 65,000 followers in early April that the US authorities became aware of the possible data breach. After numerous major Russian social media accounts took over and redistributed the documents, the Pentagon launched an investigation.
Sergeant denies disclosure
Ex-corporal Bils denies to the “WSJ” that she was responsible for the publication of the four files. Another administrator has put the documents online. She would even have deleted the documents later. “I can’t even tell if the documents are genuine. I am not very adept at reading such documents.”
Plus, of course, she knows how serious top secret classified information is. “We didn’t pass them on,” says Bils. The US Navy declined to comment.
Jack Teixeira was charged Friday with, among other things, unauthorized possession and disclosure of national defense information. The National Guardsman is also charged with unauthorized removal of classified and defense materials. (dzc)
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.
