Ukraine has changed some military plans after dozens of Pentagon documents were leaked, a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi told CNN.

Ukrainian military in BakhmutPhoto: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia

Secret Pentagon documents released on social media in recent weeks have offered a rare glimpse into how the US spies on both allies and enemies, sparking deep concern among US officials who fear the revelations could jeopardize confidential sources and compromise important foreign relations.

Some of the leaked documents reveal the weaknesses of Ukrainian weapons, as well as the size and training of battalions at a critical moment in the war, when Ukrainian forces are preparing to launch a counteroffensive.

Intelligence also suggests that the Ukrainian military is also in a difficult position. Among other things, some documents refer to the critical shortage of Ukrainian anti-aircraft ammunition.

While Ukrainian officials dismissed the documents as “fake”, US officials confirmed to the New York Times and CNN that the documents were legitimate, although some appeared to have been altered.

Zelenskyi, who is being spied on by the US

The documents also show that the US also spied on President Zelensky, which deeply disappointed Ukrainian officials, a source close to the Kyiv leader told CNN.

This is not surprising, says a source close to Zelenskyi, but Ukrainian officials are deeply disappointed by this leak.

Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said Sunday that the Pentagon was conducting an “interagency effort” to assess the impact of the leak.

The leak of secret documents detailing secret US and NATO plans to aid Kiev appears to be a disinformation operation by Russia to sow doubts about a planned counteroffensive against Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukraine’s president, said on Friday, Reuters reported.

Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that the leaks reported by the New York Times contained “a very large amount of fabricated information” and that Russia was trying to regain the initiative in the war.

“These are just standard elements of operational games of Russian intelligence. And nothing more,” Podoliak said in a written statement.

The New York Times reported Friday that the Pentagon is investigating how documents were released on social media this week detailing plans to build up the Ukrainian military for a planned counteroffensive this spring.

The source of the leak could be someone from the US

U.S. officials say the volume of documents covering the war in Ukraine, China, the Middle East and Africa shows they were released by an American, not an ally.

“Now the emphasis is on the fact that it was leaked from the US, because a lot of the documents ended up only in the hands of the Americans,” said Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, in an interview with Reuters.

Those in charge of the investigation are analyzing what motives a US official or group of US officials would have had for leaking such sensitive information, one of the sources told Reuters.

The official also said that investigators are considering four or five theories, ranging from a disgruntled employee to an insider threat that actively sought to undermine US national security interests.

American officials said the investigation was in its early stages, and executives did not rule out pro-Russian elements behind the leak.

In any case, it is considered one of the worst security breaches since WikiLeaks released more than 700,000 diplomatic documents, videos and cables in 2013.

On the same topic:

  • According to the leak of secret American documents, Mossad would encourage anti-government protests in Israel / The Israeli government rejects the information
  • Washington Post: Leaked military documents show Wagner Group tried to buy weapons in Turkey
  • The New York Times continues a series of revelations: the leak of documents shows that the United States has been massively spying on the Russian military. American secret services are also eavesdropping on important allies
  • Russia appears to be behind the leak of Pentagon documents about the war in Ukraine, US officials say
  • Ukraine is considering measures to prevent the leakage of military information
  • Kyiv’s reaction to the secret documents about the Ukrainian counter-offensive circulated on the Internet

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