Second Batch of Leaked US Documents Surface Online

Improve the News Foundation -

Facts

  • A day after leaked military documents revealing US and NATO war planning in Ukraine surfaced online, a second batch was circulated on Friday — this time said to contain more than 100 documents revealing military secrets on Ukraine and additional areas of US interest, including China and the Middle East.1
  • One senior US intelligence official, speaking to the New York Times, described the leaks as 'a nightmare for the Five Eyes' — in reference to the intelligence sharing alliance between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.1
  • Late on Friday, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, said: 'The Department of Defense is actively reviewing the matter, and has made a formal referral to the Department of Justice for investigation.' Meanwhile, three US officials told Reuters they suspect Russia was behind the leak.2
  • Elsewhere, on Saturday, Ukraine reportedly launched a missile strike on Crimea, the Russian-controlled peninsula annexed in 2014. Sergei Aksyonov, head of the administration in Crimea, said the missile was shot down over Feodosia, and an adviser said debris fell onto the town, but there was no report of damage or injuries. The reports, however, couldn't be independently verified.3
  • In the meantime, in Russian attacks over the past day, Ukrainian officials reported that four civilians were killed and one was injured in Donetsk, while eight civilians were injured in the Kherson region. Further attacks were recorded in the regions of Sumy, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhzhia without additional reports of civilian casualties.4
  • Elsewhere, Ukraine held a minute's silence on Saturday to commemorate a Russian attack at a railway station in the city of Kramatorsk in Donetsk last year that reportedly killed 61 civilians, including seven children.5

Sources: 1Daily Mail, 2Independent, 3Al arabiya english, 4Ukrinform and 5Ukrainska pravda.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Independent. Russia is likely behind this leak of documents. They revealed Ukrainian fighting positions in areas of the country, as well as a range of damaging information on US operations across the globe. It's they who benefit most from the leaks.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Foreign policy. This leak, which the US Dept. of Defense acknowledged as authentic, now complicates the US-supported Ukrainian counteroffensive planned for this spring. Military planners will now need to reassess before launching the salvo.

Predictions