“Another batch of secret documents surfaced on social media on Friday, which appear to detail US national security secrets from Ukraine to the Middle East to China.”
“The rate of leakage – according to analysts, more than 100 documents– as well as the sensitivity of the documents themselves can cause enormous damage”– US officials said.
By the Times earlier explained like the Ukraine war plans, some of the latest documents have surfaced on Twitter and other social media platforms. They contain reports that have been marked with one of the highest ratings, “Secret/NoForn”. The designation means that the information it contains is sensitive enough not to be shared, even with foreign allies.
But what do the documents reveal?
The documents, published in the form of photos, outline Ukraine’s military strength, the state of the conflict, the number of casualties and the burn rate of the HIMARS long-range missile systems provided to Ukraine by the United States. Some of them are dated March 1st.
One of the leaked materials is a map, which is said to show the state of war in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the scene of a months-long fierce battle. According to a researcher of an investigative group, the documents first appeared on the 4chan platform. It is a website where users can post images and text anonymously, and the most recent content is always displayed at the top of the listing.
Another document contains summaries of the training schedules of 12 Ukrainian military brigades. Of these, nine are reportedly being trained by the United States and allies, six of which will be ready by March 31 and three by April. The document also states that Ukraine will have 253 tanks among other weapons.
The documents have since been changed
Pentagon officials acknowledge that these are legitimate Defense Department documents, but the copies appear to have been altered in some parts from the original format. This makes it more difficult to sort out which data is authentic and which has been modified.
There are two different versions of the leaked documents circulating online, and one of them appears to be was modified, to downplay the number of Russians killed and increase the number of Ukrainian victims. The original loss estimate puts the number of Russian casualties at around 35,000, while according to the amended document, Moscow lost only 16,000 soldiers.
In addition to the war in Ukraine, many other important pieces of information have been revealed
The leaked documents go well beyond top secret material related to war plans in Ukraine.
The report quotes one senior intelligence official as saying that the leak ‘nightmare for Five Eyes’ – referring to the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand intelligence sharing nations.
According to security analysts who reviewed the documents that appeared on social media, apart from the war that has been going on for almost 14 months Sensitive information about China, the Indo-Pacific military arena, the Middle East and terrorism is also included.
Who could be behind the leak?
According to outside experts, it is difficult to draw conclusions about who released the information and why.
According to Kyle Walter, head of research at the British disinformation company Logically, several prominent voices on Russian Telegram channels “western influence” he called the original photo depicting the number of Russian and Ukrainian victims an operation.
Further leaks are expected, which could be much more serious
The report quotes one analyst as warning that this is likely to be just “the tip of the iceberg”. According to him, further significant leaks are expected or have already occurred, which could rival the “Pentagon Papers” of the Vietnam War era.