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A trove of purported Pentagon documents have appeared online in recent days, revealing information ranging from U.S. assessments of the Russia-Ukraine war to intel on how America may be spying on adversaries and allies.
The source of the leaks is not yet clear. Reuters reported that three unnamed U.S. officials said Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind at least the first batch of leaks.
Here’s what we do know so far about the documents: Are the leaked documents authentic?
It’s not yet clear whether all the material surfacing online is legitimate, though unnamed U.S. officials have told CNN and the New York Times that the documents appear to be real.
However, some have also noted that, even if the documents are authentic, some of the information in them may have been altered.
Estimates of Russian troop deaths in certain documents, for example, are significantly lower than those given by U.S. officials, sparking some concern that the material could have been tweaked to spread misinformation.
Ukrainian officials on Sunday said the leaks were a “ordinary game” by Russia’s secret services.
“To take open briefings, add fake info or certain parts of interceptions & publish them on social networks legalizing the ‘leak,’” said Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak on Twitter.What’s in the files?
A number of documents resemble daily, non-public updates from the U.S. military’s joint staff and appear to detail U.S. and NATO aid to Ukraine, including notes on the progress of weapons aid. The documents on Russia and Ukraine don’t appear to include details on the warfare or plans of an expected Ukrainian offensive.
