A collection of classified documents leaked from the Pentagon were reportedly initially shared in a private group used by video gamers as part of an argument over the war in Ukraine.
The documents were leaked on the video game chat platform Discord in an effort to win an argument about the Ukraine-Russia war, according to analysts from the investigative journalist group Bellingcat. The documents were posted on the server named "Minecraft Earth Map," which was used to help organize Minecraft players. The documents in question are among those being investigated by the Department of Justice.
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"After a brief spat with another person on the server about Minecraft Maps and the war in Ukraine, one of the Discord users replied 'here, have some leaked documents' — attaching 10 documents about Ukraine, some of which bore the 'Top Secret' markings," Bellingcat analyst Aric Toler wrote.
The user who posted the maps claimed they found them on a different Discord server named "WowMao," which was operated by fans of a YouTube creator by the same name. Someone on that server posted 30 documents, many of which were marked "top secret." The same user posted several documents to the server, Toler claims, before it was purged on Apr. 7.
Other users claimed that leaked documents were posted to a Discord server named "Thug Shaker Central." One user claimed the 30 files spread on WowMao were the “tip of the iceberg” compared to those posted on Thug Shaker Central, the latter of which was reportedly deleted, according to users familiar with it.
"Posts and channel listings show that the server's users were interested in video games, music, Orthodox Christianity, and fandom for the popular YouTuber 'Oxide,'" Toler wrote. "This server was not especially geopolitical in nature, although its users had a staunchly conservative stance on several issues, members told Bellingcat. Racial slurs and racist memes were shared widely." Oxide is a Youtube account focusing on military equipment.
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Military intelligence leaks around video games are not unheard of. A user from the military simulation game War Thunder claiming to be a tank commander from the British army once posted documents detailing the inside of a French Leclerc tank to resolve an argument.
Dozens of photos of classified documents were leaked on social media in recent weeks, although the authenticity and volume of the leak have yet to be confirmed. The leaks are currently being investigated by the Department of Defense and the DOJ.