The person responsible for the leaks is still unknown and, as of this Monday (10), the Department of Defense continues to work to assess their authenticity, although it recognizes that the documents appear to contain confidential and sensitive material.
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This information has been available online and on some platforms for weeks or possibly longer, although it only came to media attention earlier this month.
Below is a summary of what is known so far about the leaks:
Document content
Many documents are related to the war in Ukraine. One of them provides information on the state of the conflict at the beginning of March, including Russian and Ukrainian casualties, while another details the situation on specific fronts, such as the city of Bakhmut, one of the main battlefields.
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Another document provides information about Ukraine's air defenses, which have been instrumental in protecting the country from Russian missile and drone attacks. Another document details international efforts to strengthen Kiev's military forces.
There are also documents that are not related to Ukraine. Some, for example, point to American surveillance of its allies, such as one indicating that leaders of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad advocated internal protests against a controversial Israeli judicial reform plan that would give lawmakers substantially more control over the Supreme Court.
Are they genuine?
The Pentagon says it is working to “evaluate the authenticity of photographed documents circulating on social media,” but admitted that “they appear to contain highly sensitive confidential material.”
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At least one document appears to have been doctored to say that Ukraine suffered more casualties than Russia, when the apparent original version said otherwise.
But according to reports, American authorities believe many of the documents are genuine.
What is the US doing about the case?
The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the apparent leak while an assessment of its potential impact on national security is underway.
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American officials have also contacted Washington's international allies to discuss the matter, and relevant congressional committees have been informed.
What is the possible impact of the leak?
The impact of the leak could be significant, putting American intelligence sources at risk and also giving Russia valuable information about the state of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Documents relating to US allies could also be a source of diplomatic embarrassment as they detail American surveillance of countries with which Washington maintains close ties.
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Where did the documents come from?
The documents were published on various social media platforms and other websites, including Twitter, 4Chan and Discord.
But many of them are no longer available where they first appeared, and the US continues to work to remove them.
Independent media outlet Bellingcat investigated where the documents first appeared and reported that some may have been online as early as last year.
Some were posted on Discord, a popular chat platform for video game players, channels for fans of a YouTube celebrity and players of the computer game “Minecraft,” according to Bellingcat.
(With AFP)
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