The Department of Defense is looking into how top-secret documents with details regarding the war in Ukraine were published on at least two social media sites, Twitter and Telegram.
The released documents, some of which appear to be modified or altered, include maps of Ukraine and charts of where troops are concentrated and what weapons are available to them, which was reported by the New York Times. The photos posted on social media were pictures taken of the creased maps.
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“We are aware of the reports of social media posts, and the department is reviewing the matter,” Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary, said. It's unclear who shared the information and their motives.
The revealed documents do not, however, contain specific information regarding Ukraine's spring offensive, which officials said will likely begin in the coming weeks, though the information released offers many insights.
Military analysts believe the documents appear legitimate, but they think the original versions were likely changed in some stances. In one example, a chart places Ukraine's death toll at around 71,000, a number that is considered plausible, but it lists the Russian fatalities at 16,000 to 17,500, which is believed to be significantly higher.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told lawmakers in late March that the United States assesses that "the Russians have well over 200,000 casualties," while the decreased Russian casualty count could indicate the person responsible was pushing pro-Russian disinformation.
Another leaked document labeled “top secret” offered the “Status of the Conflict as of 1 Mar," while some of the information released included the expenditure rate for HIMARS, the U.S.-provided high-mobility artillery rockets systems that have been a key weapon for Ukraine, while DOD has not disclosed that information before.
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Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the posts looked like a Russian disinformation operation that was intended to cause doubts about the potential success of their counteroffensive.
"These are just standard elements of operational games by Russian intelligence. And nothing more. Russia is looking for any ways to seize back the initiative. To try to influence the scenarios for Ukraine's counteroffensive plans. To introduce doubts, to compromise the ... ideas, and finally to intimidate (us) with how 'informed' they are," Podolyak told Reuters.