Pentagon Investigates Leak of Classified War Plans for U.S.-Backed Ukraine Offensive Against Russia

The Pentagon is investigating the leak of classified war documents detailing secret American and NATO plans to bolster the Ukrainian military ahead of a planned offensive against Russian troops, The New York Times reports.

The documents appeared on social media channels, including Twitter and Telegram, and are believed to have been modified in certain parts to overstate American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and understate estimates of Russian troops killed.

The original documents appear as photographs of charts of anticipated weapons deliveries, troop and battalion strengths, and other plans, representing a significant breach of American intelligence in the effort to aid Ukraine.

Biden officials have been working to get the documents deleted from social media, but as of Thursday evening, had not succeeded, according to The Times.

The documents, which do not provide specific battle plans, offer a snapshot of time as of March 1, 2023.

They reflect the mainstream American and Ukrainian interpretation of what Ukrainian troops might need for the campaign and include columns that list Ukrainian troop units, equipment, and training, with schedules for January through April.

Of the 12 combat brigades (about 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers) being assembled, nine are apparently being trained and supplied by the United States and other NATO allies.

Six out of the nine brigades would be prepared by March 31, while the remaining three would be ready by April 30.

“Whether these documents are authentic or not, people should take care with anything released by Russian sources,” said CNA Russian studies director Michael Kofman. CNA is a U.S. government-funded nonprofit research and analysis organization.

The leak does not provide specific battle plans, including how, when, and where Ukraine intends to launch its offensive, which American officials say is likely coming in the next month or so, according to The Times.

On Friday, the White House announced the continuation of the national emergency declaration against the Government of the Russian Federation, which was originally declared in April 2021.

The continuation of the emergency declaration will allow the U.S. to continue taking measures to address Russia’s activities, including sanctions and other economic and diplomatic actions.

Moscow was reportedly already aware that the U.S. and NATO were directly involved in the Ukraine conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told CNN on Friday that Russia didn’t have the “slightest doubt about direct or indirect involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”

“This level of involvement is rising gradually,” Peskov went on to say. “We keep our eye on this process. Well, of course, it makes the whole story more complicated, but it cannot influence the final outcome of the special operation.”

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