Kremlin Tight-Lipped on Intel Leaks as US Scrambles to Contain Damage

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov listens during Russian President Vladimir Putin's annual end-of-year press conference in Moscow on Dec. 19, 2019. Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

The Kremlin has declined to comment on a fresh raft of U.S. intelligence leaks, many of which pertain to Ukraine and other allies of the United States.

“I can’t comment on that in any way,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 10 when asked about speculation that Moscow was behind the leaks, which were first reported last week by The New York Times.

“You and I both know that the tendency [in the West] to blame Russia for everything is widespread right now. So there’s nothing to comment on.”

A day earlier, the U.S. Defense Department stated that it was still assessing “the validity of the photographed documents that are circulating on social media sites and that appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material.”

The Justice Department has also initiated a probe into the source of the leaks, considered one of the most egregious U.S. security breaches in recent history.

Airmen with the 436th Aerial Port Squadron use a forklift to move 155 mm shells ultimately bound for Ukraine at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on April 29, 2022. The Pentagon announced a new package of long-term security assistance for Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2023, marking the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion with a $2 billion commitment to send more rounds of ammunition and a variety of small, high-tech drones into the fight. Alex Brandon/AP Photo

Kyiv ‘Refining’ Offensive Plans

The leaked documents, most of which date from February or early March, initially appeared last month on online discussion forums, such as Discord and 4chan.

But they only made headlines on April 6, when the NY Times reported that they were being posted and shared on Twitter and Telegram.

Citing “senior Biden administration officials,” the newspaper said that leaked information included arms-delivery schedules, troop sizes, ammunition expenditure rates, and other critical data pertaining to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its second year.

For example, one leaked document appears to show that munitions for Ukraine’s S-300 air-defense system are expected to run out early next month.

The timing of the leaks coincides with an anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive, for which Kyiv would likely depend heavily on Western—especially U.S.—arms and logistical support.

In the immediate wake of the NY Times article, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with top military advisers to discuss means of preventing disclosures of potentially damaging information.

On April 10, CNN, citing sources close to Zelenskyy, stated that the leaks had prompted Kyiv to modify certain aspects of its planned counter-offensive.

On the same day, Zelenskyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said that “operational and tactical scenarios” were being “constantly refined” based on current intelligence and battlefield assessments.

Podolyak had earlier described the leaks as “standard elements of operational games by Russian intelligence” aimed at sowing confusion and disinformation.

Intelligence ‘Nightmare’

Over the weekend, more reports emerged of classified intelligence documents being leaked online, some of which pertain to other U.S. allies.

One claims to give details of closed-door talks between top South Korean officials regarding alleged U.S. pressure on Seoul to contribute more to Ukraine’s war effort.

Protesters break police barricades during a demonstration against the Israeli government's controversial justice reform bill in Tel Aviv, Israel, on March 1, 2023. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images

Another document appears to indicate that recent protests in Israel against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were encouraged by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Netanyahu’s office said the claim was “without any foundation whatsoever.”

These and other documents also seem to suggest that U.S. intelligence agencies obtained the information by conducting surveillance on allied governments.

According to CNN, one document appears to reveal that the United States at one point spied on Zelenskyy.

Peskov declined to rule out the possibility.

“The fact that the United States has been spying on various heads of state for a long time, especially in European capitals, has emerged repeatedly,” he said.

According to the Defense Department, an “interagency effort” is now underway to assess the “impact these photographed documents could have on U.S. national security and on our allies and partners.”

In an April 7 follow-up article, the NY Times cited a “senior intelligence official” who described the leaks as “a nightmare for the Five Eyes.”

Originally established during World War II, the Five Eyes is a five-nation intelligence-sharing alliance made up of the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

On April 9, Canada reiterated its commitment to working within the Five Eyes grouping—despite what appears to be a massive U.S. intelligence failure.

Ottawa also declined to comment on any of the information purportedly revealed by the leaked documents.

“We do not comment, whether to confirm or deny, on allegedly leaked intelligence,” Canada’s Ministry of Public Safety said in a statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.