The United States has reportedly gained access to “internal plans” of the Kremlin-backed Wagner mercenaries, which showed the group “sought to buy weapons from NATO ally Turkey,” the Washington Post reported, citing newly declassified military documents released online.

According to the report, in early February, some of Wagner’s staff “met with Turkish contacts to purchase weapons and equipment from Turkey for Wagner’s efforts in Mali and Ukraine,” according to the Kyiv Independent.

The leaked documents also say that Mali’s leader, Assimi Goita, “confirmed that Mali can purchase weapons in Turkey on behalf of Wagner,” the media reported.

However, as the Washington Post writes, it is not clear from the leaked documents that the Turkish government could have known about Wagner’s efforts and whether they “proved to be fruitful.”

“But the discovery that a NATO ally could have helped Russia in the war against Ukraine could prove explosive, especially since Turkey tried to block Sweden from joining the ranks of the transatlantic military alliance,” the media reported.

The documents also highlight Warner’s campaign to recruit Russian prisoners to fight in Ukraine and say the Russian military has become “dependent on private soldiers,” according to the media.

The Pentagon launched an investigation after the New York Times reported that classified documents were released on Twitter and Telegram earlier this week detailing US and NATO plans to arm Ukraine for a future counteroffensive.

Ukrainian military intelligence said that secret military documents were forged by Russia.

US officials also told Reuters that Russia or pro-Russian elements were likely behind the leak.

The Wagner Group, the most publicized group of mercenaries in Russia, was founded by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Together with the Russian army, the group participated in the battles for Soledar and Bakhmut of the Donetsk region.

Wagner’s group has been accused of human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial executions, in Ukraine, Syria, Libya, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Mozambique.

In early January, the US Treasury Department designated Wagner’s group a “significant transnational criminal organization” and imposed sanctions on its worldwide support network.