Pentagon Provides Easter Sunday Update After ‘Top Secret’ US Military Plans Leaked

The Pentagon building in Washington on Dec. 26, 2011. AFP via Getty Images

The Department of Defense (DOD) on Sunday released more information about an apparent leak of classified information and documents relating to the war in Ukraine and surveillance efforts.

So far, the Pentagon and other U.S. government agencies have issued few statements about the purported intelligence leak, details of which surfaced on Telegram, 4chan, Twitter, and Discord. Before Sunday, the Pentagon released a brief statement saying it was aware of reports and that a criminal referral was sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which confirmed it was investigating the matter on Saturday.

“An agency effort has been stood up, focused on assessing the impact these photographed documents could have on U.S. national security and on our Allies and partners,” DOD deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said in a statement to news outlets on Sunday evening. “Over the weekend, U.S. officials have engaged with Allies and partners and have informed relevant congressional committees of jurisdiction about the disclosure.”

Singh noted in Sunday’s statement that the DOJ had opened a criminal investigation into the matter. “The Department of Defense’s highest priority is the defense of our nation and our national security,” she added.

A number of the leaked documents were labeled as “Top Secret” or “NOFORN,” which means “not be released in any form to foreign governments,” according to screenshots of the material that was circulating online viewed by The Epoch Times. Some of the purported leaks appeared to show a “daily update” regarding the Ukraine-Russia war along with the movements of ships, planes, and ground forces under NATO command in Europe.

Among the dozens of images that were circulating online, one image appeared to show an updated map of fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region. And another showed damage that was done by a “recent strike,” dated in February 2023, in the Donetsk city of Marinka.

Volunteer soldiers prepare to fire toward Russian positions close to Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 8, 2023. Libkos/AP Photo

Notably, an apparently leaked Defense Intelligence Agency document appeared to outline possible scenarios in which the Israeli government would provide Ukrainian forces with weapons. It listed four scenarios, labeled as “most plausible” to “least plausible.”

Other documents purport to show the number of Russian and Ukrainian casualties as of early March 2023, reported The New York Times. One of the papers said that between 16,000 and 17,500 Russian soldiers have died so far, while Ukrainian forces suffered as many as 71,500 deaths, although Western intelligence officials have suggested publicly that Moscow’s forces have lost far more than that.

The Epoch Times could not verify the authenticity of the images that were circulating online. The DOD has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Some analysts told the NY Times that the documents could be fabricated. “Whether these documents are authentic or not, people should take care with anything released by Russian sources,” said Michael Kofman, the director of Russian studies at the Center of a New American Security, a Virginia-based think tank funded by dozens of military contractors, Google, Amazon, and other large corporations.

A former DOJ official, Brandon Van Grack, told NPR on Monday that the “only debate now is how much damage there was and the threat is still live.” He added, “We don’t know if the individual or individuals still have access to classified information and whether there could be additional leaks, and so right now this has to be the top priority.”

Other researchers have said that the leaked files were posted on Internet forums weeks ago. “This [stuff] was sitting in a Minecraft Discord server for a month and no one noticed,” Aric Toler, a researcher at investigative outlet Bellingcat, told CNN, referring to the popular video game. Toler was apparently referring to the recent bevy of reporting from the NY Times, CNN, and The Washington Post about the leaked files despite them having been posted online in early March.

Thomas Rid, another researcher, added to CNN: “The fact that unedited and edited—doctored—versions of some files are available online makes me skeptical that this is a professional Russian intelligence operation.” Some noted that the incident bears some similarity to former contractor Edward Snowden’s leaking of highly classified materials from the National Security Agency in 2013.

Last week, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the chief of Ukraine’s presidential office, claimed in a statement that the posts were Russian disinformation or are fabricated, although he did not elaborate. He claimed that these leaks were attempts to sow doubt in Ukraine’s reported counter-offensive, which is slated to start this spring.

“To take open briefings, add fake info or certain parts of interceptions & publish them on social networks legalizing the ‘leak.'” He added, “This has nothing to do with Ukraine’s real plans,” before saying that “as for the real counteroffensive plans, the Russian troops will certainly be the first to get acquainted with them.”