WASHINGTON – The US Department of Justice announced on Saturday that an investigation into a trove of leaked US papers, many of which are related to Ukraine, has begun.
The hack appears to include evaluations and classified intelligence reports not only about Ukraine and Russia, but also extremely sensitive analyses of US partners.
“We have been in contact with the Department of Defense regarding this matter, and an investigation has begun,” a Justice Department official told AFP.
In recent days, scores of leaked documents and slides have appeared on Twitter, Telegram, Discord, and other social media and chat sites, and fresh documents continue to emerge.
The Pentagon stated Friday that it was “actively reviewing the matter” and that the potential violation had been properly forwarded to the Justice Department.
Some documents looked to be modified, according to US sources, but many were compatible with CIA World Intelligence Review assessments disseminated at top levels inside the White House, Pentagon, and State Department
.
According to defense specialists, any breach of internal secret US papers would be detrimental as well as possibly embarrassing.
Furthermore, the leak would be useful to Moscow since it would demonstrate how far US intelligence has penetrated portions of the Russian military establishment, according to US media.
Other documents appear to contain details regarding internal debates within US allies’ governments.
The New York Times reported that among the documents were discussions about South Korea’s deliberations over whether to provide the United States with artillery shells for use in Ukraine.
