WASHINGTON (AFP/Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice says it has begun an investigation into a trove of leaked U.S. documents, many related to Ukraine, that have spread to the Internet.
The breach appears to include assessments and secret intelligence reports that touch not only on Ukraine and Russia but also highly sensitive analyzes of U.S. allies.
“We have been in communication with the Department of Defense related to this matter and have begun an investigation,” a Justice Department spokesperson told AFP.
A steady drip of dozens of leaked documents and slides have made their way onto Twitter, Telegram, Discord and other social media and chat sites in recent days, and new documents continue to surface.
The Pentagon said Friday it was “actively reviewing the matter” and that it had formally referred the apparent breach to the Justice Department.
U.S. officials told the Washington Post that some documents appeared to be manipulated but many were consistent with CIA World Intelligence Review reports that are shared at high levels within the White House, Pentagon and State Department.
Defense analysts say any breach of internal classified U.S. documents would be both damaging and potentially embarrassing.
In addition, the leak would prove valuable to Moscow by showing how deep U.S. intelligence has penetrated parts of the Russian military apparatus, U.S. media said.
Other documents include apparent information about internal debate within the governments of U.S. allies.
Among the documents, for example, were discussions about South Korea’s debate on whether to provide the United States artillery shells for use in Ukraine, The New York Times said.
A South Korean presidential official said on Sunday Seoul is aware of news reports about the leak of several classified U.S. military documents and it plans to discuss “issues raised” as a result of the leak with the United States.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has ruled out negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, claiming that Moscow has not demonstrated its readiness for “constructive” talks.
He made the remarks during a press briefing in Germany on Friday, demanding that Russia first show its willingness to engage in “constructive negotiations” with the goal of a “just and lasting peace.”
Blinken also claimed that although the idea of a ceasefire may be “tempting,” it will not contribute to a “just and lasting peace” if it means “ratification” of Moscow’s control over the former Ukrainian territories that voted in a referendum to join the Russian federation following the start of its “special military operation” in neighboring Ukraine aimed at protecting the country’s Russian-speaking population as well as blocking further eastward advance of the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.
Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine back in February 2022 in face of Kiev’s surging attacks on the pro-Russia Donbass republics and NATO’s failure to satisfy Russia’s persisting demands for security guarantees amid growing calls for Ukraine’s NATO membership, which would eventually place hostile Western military forces and weaponry on Russian border.