Since April 7, US media have published the content of secret Pentagon documents that appeared on the web as a result of a large-scale leak. They contain data on the counter-offensive of Ukraine, the work of the CIA and other American intelligence agencies, the situation in other countries, documents on American relations with the countries of the Middle East and of Asia, and other information. US authorities confirmed that “sensitive documents” were leaked online, but noted that some of them had been altered. How the leak reacted in Russia, the United States and the countries mentioned in the documents – in the The Eastern Herald material.
Press Secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov
Kremlin representative appointed the leaks are “pretty interesting”. Commenting on the version that pro-Russian sources may be behind the leak of Pentagon documents, Peskov said that “the tendency in everything, always and everywhere, to blame Russia and blame everything on Russia is now a common disease.
Information that the United States may be following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensyy and the heads of other states, according to Peskov, “cannot be ruled out.” This “resurfaced several times, caused scandalous situations,” the presidential press secretary said.
He added that Russia had no doubts about the involvement of the United States and NATO in the conflict in Ukraine and was following the process. “Of course, this complicates the whole story, but it won’t affect the outcome of the special operation,” Peskov said.
Adviser to the Chief of Staff of Ukrainian President Mykhailo Podolyak
“The usual game of Russian special services”, “bluff, dust in the eyes”, “Photoshop and fake”, – this is how Podolyak commented on the leaked documents on his Twitter and Telegram. According to him, the purpose of the leaks was “to divert attention, sow doubt, mutual suspicion and discord”, as well as to disrupt the Ukrainian army’s counter-offensive. The published data, according to Podolyak, has nothing to do with Ukraine’s real plans.
US Department of Defense
The Pentagon acknowledged that the leak disclosed “highly sensitive and classified” information that posed a “very serious threat to national security.”
“These are highly classified documents that people in the Department of Defense and, of course, other parts of the US government use in their work,” said Pentagon spokesman Chris Meagher, whose words son Bloomberg.
In his view, the United States at “high levels” interacted with its allies in the leak.
The White House
The leak of classified documents will not affect the level of US support for Ukraine – it will be supported “as long as it takes”. On this subject declared during an April 10 briefing, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby.
At the same time, he struggled to answer the question of whether there is still a threat of additional secret data being released and who might be behind the leaked documents.
Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP
Kirby said the United States takes the leak “very seriously” and President Joe Biden has been made aware of it and is being investigated by the Pentagon and the Justice Department. US officials have also contacted allies and partners “at a very high level” about it. At the same time, Kirby noted that some of the material posted on the internet has been altered from what is considered the primary source of information.
US State Department
Leaked documents ‘undoubtedly’ pose a national security threat, but their authenticity is still being assessed, informed during a briefing by State Department spokesman Vedant Patel. At the same time, he noted that even false information can pose a threat.
US agencies have taken steps to restrict access to classified documents and to mitigate the national security impact of the leak, Patel said.
“US officials are engaging with our allies and partners at a high level, including reassuring them of our commitment to maintaining loyal intelligence and partnerships,” Patel said.
Patel did not specify which countries he was talking about, saying only that “this work is in progress”.
South Korea
‘Much’ of information in published documents regarding South Korea is ‘fabricated’ declared at President Yoon Seok-yeol’s office. The leak included US spying on senior South Korean officials, as well as pressure on Seoul over arms shipments to Ukraine.
Chung Sung Jun/Getty Images
The office, which has been described as “completely false”, claims that the president’s office in Seoul is under surveillance. Any attempt to undermine the alliance between South Korea and the United States is an act “undermining national interests”.
Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied data leaks on possible deliveries of lethal weapons to Ukraine.
“I don’t know what these reports are based on. We decided to help them (Ukraine) in humanitarian matters, civil defence, with a warning system, and things like that. (There was no) decision on lethal weapons… I will do everything in my power if I can to help resolve this conflict. said first.
Netanyahu’s office also issued a statement on behalf of the Mossad, calling it “false and absurd” that the intelligence service allegedly incited Israelis to protest.
Bulgaria
The published documents indicated that Bulgaria was negotiating with Ukraine on the free supply of Bulgarian MiG-29 fighters. The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has not confirmed negotiations on this issue. In the departement noted that the transfer of combatants would result in a shortage of combat capability and was unconstitutional.
Egypt
The Washington Post, citing leaked documents on the web, reported that Egypt planned to secretly supply up to 40,000 missiles to Russia.
Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid, commenting on the information, said that the country’s position since the start of the military operation in Ukraine “is based on non-interference in this crisis and the obligation to keep an equal distance on both sides”.
“Egypt supports the UN Charter and international law in UN General Assembly resolutions. We continue to call on both parties to end hostilities and reach a political solution through negotiations,” he added.
The leak of secret US documents became known in early April. Photos with classified data were first published in early March on the Discord chat platform. In particular, the documents provide US data on the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the situation in China and the Middle East. The Pentagon and the US Department of Justice are investigating the leak of classified information. How secret American documents could end up on the web, what they say about American plans and how a “leak” can affect the course of the conflict, read The Eastern Herald’s material.
Read the latest news about the Ukraine conflict on The Eastern Herald .
