U.S. government take emergency action due to large-scale leak of top-secret documents
Top secret stamp © pixabay.com
Officials in the United States are in a frenzy to trace the source of a recent leak of classified military and intelligence documents. The leaked documents, which include sensitive information about Ukraine's air defenses and the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, have left security experts and officials scrambling to identify the person responsible for the leak.
According Reuters, while investigations are still in their early stages, there is suspicion that the leak may have originated within the US, given that many of the documents were only in the possession of US officials. However, some officials have not ruled out the possibility that pro-Russian elements may be behind the leak.
Last week, The New York Times drew attention to the fact that photographs of allegedly secret American documents diverge on social networks. They reflect the state of the Ukrainian army at the beginning of March, the situation at the front and Ukraine's plans to accumulate equipment for the counteroffensive.
The authenticity of the leaked documents has not been independently verified, and there is a possibility that some may have been doctored to mislead investigators about their source or disseminate false information. The Pentagon has issued a statement saying that it is reviewing the validity of the documents, which appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material.
One of the leaked documents, marked "Secret," gives a detailed outline of how Ukraine's S-300 air defense systems would be depleted by May 2 if the current usage rate continues. Another document, marked "Top Secret," reveals that Mossad encouraged protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan to tighten controls on the Supreme Court. The document suggests that the US had been spying on one of its most important allies in the Middle East.
The Pentagon © pixabay.com
The leak of these highly sensitive documents is being treated as one of the most serious security breaches since the WikiLeaks website published more than 700,000 documents, videos, and diplomatic cables in 2013. As investigators work to identify the source of the leak, theories range from a disgruntled employee to an insider threat actively seeking to undermine US national security interests. Ukrainian officials have met to discuss ways to prevent similar leaks in the future.
The leak of classified documents shows that the United States of America receives information from almost every Russian intelligence agency, the New York Times reported.
One of these materials, marked "Top Secret," discusses the plans of the Russian General Staff to counter the tanks that NATO countries are transferring to Ukraine. The other is about an information campaign that the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate is planning in Africa to shape public opinion against the United States and advance Russian foreign policy.
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