The federal government is expanding its investigation into who leaked a number of sensitive military documents online, including revelations regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine and that the Pentagon is spying on a number of American allies.
News of the leaks was published by the New York Times on Friday. The leak reportedly includes photos of more than 100 documents.
Various government agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Defense, are spearheading the investigation.
Some of the documents have been deleted since their initial leak, but more than 60 have been successfully retrieved.
The Pentagon said that it would “review and assess the validity of the photographed documents” and that the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the matter.
Ukraine says it has been forced to alter its counter-attack plans after US intelligence leak revealed top secret military details – as Russia starts 'scorched earth' bombing of Bakhmuthttps://t.co/v5VGfbPX9I
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) April 10, 2023
One of the documents infers that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad encouraged recent protests against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu called such claims “mendacious and without any foundation whatsoever.”
The release is likely the most impactful government leak since Edward Snowden released a large number of secret government files in 2013.
Furthermore, the documents appear to reveal that the United States spied on South Korea over the topic of potential munition sales. Seoul was especially concerned that such munitions could then be transferred to Ukraine to support that country’s war effort.
Furthermore, the documents stated that the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group, attempted to acquire weapons from Turkey, an American ally. Wagner forces are fighting alongside the Russian Army in Ukraine.
Of particular concern were documents that appeared to show the Russian death toll during the war in Ukraine at levels below current public estimates. The documents also state that the Ukrainian military was rapidly using up the artillery provided to the country by the United States.
The documents state that Ukraine could run out of antiaircraft munitions in several weeks and that such defense is dependent upon supplies from the United States and its allies.
The reported leaks also contain information that Washington is spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In particular, the Pentagon was concerned that Zelenskyy’s desire to strike targets deep in Russia using drones could cause a severe reaction from Moscow.
