The Pentagon.Photo: STAFF/AFP via Getty
The Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation after a trove of allegedly top-secret military documents detailing how America spies on other nations appear to have been leaked on social media.
Speaking toCNN, one U.S. official said the documents — which began circulating online in recent weeks, and on social media outlets including Twitter and Telegram last Friday — “look real.”
The New York Timescites analysts that say more than 100 documents may have been among those shared via photographs online. According to theTimes, the papers appear to include “highly classified material on Ukraine war plans,” as well as “sensitive briefing slides on China, the Indo-Pacific military theater, the Middle East and terrorism.”
In a statement released over the weekend, deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh announced that the Department of Defense was reviewing the documents to assess their validity, adding that they “appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material.”
“An interagency effort has been stood up, focused on assessing the impact these photographed documents could have on U.S. national security and on our Allies and partners,” Singh continued. “Over the weekend, U.S. officials have engaged with Allies and partners and have informed relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction about the disclosure. The Department of Defense’s highest priority is the defense of our nation and our national security. We have referred this matter to the Department of Justice, which has opened a criminal investigation.”
While the motive behind a leak is not yet clear, some experts have speculated that a deliberate release of classified documents could have been done todamage U.S. and NATO effortsin the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Russia’s invasion of Ukrainebegan more than one year ago.
While the war rages on, there have been several signs that global sanctions have severely restricted Russia’s supply chains and forced Putin to turn to less-than-ideal trading partners — likeNorth Korea— for military supplies.
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While Russia has suffered apparentshortcomings on the battlefield, Putin has ramped up nuclear threats andcalled for a partial mobilizationof Russian citizens amid the ongoing invasion, saying in a September speech: “When the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people. It’s not a bluff,” per a Reuters report.
source: people.com
