In early March, a large amount of classified documents from US intelligence services were published on the social media platform Discord.
The documents, which appear to have been hastily photographed against the backdrop of a hunting magazine, were spread to the infamous online forum 4chan, and then to social media platforms Twitter and Telegram.
The New York Times and The Washington Post has analyzed around 50 of the leaked documents, and states that they describe intelligence work carried out by almost all American intelligence services.
Warn of attacks
The documents focus mainly on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and show that US intelligence has such insight into the Russian military leadership that it can warn Ukraine of planned attacks and also make reliable assessments of Russia’s strengths and weaknesses.
Intelligence services in the United States also have knowledge of the Russian military security service GRU, based on what can be deduced. A document shows how the GRU planned to carry out a propaganda campaign in African countries with the aim of undermining popular support for leaders supporting Ukraine, as well as discrediting the US and mainly France.
Sweden’s NATO application
There are also descriptions of how representatives of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner have met with Turkish contacts to buy weapons for the war in Ukraine, writes The Washington Post.
The newspaper writes that it is unclear whether the Turkish government was involved or whether the purchase was ever completed. But the revelation that a NATO country may have helped Russia in the war can be very sensitive, especially given that Turkey has refused to ratify Sweden’s NATO application, the newspaper writes.
The US also appears to be spying on several allies, including South Korea and Israel, but also on the highest political and military leadership in Ukraine.
Make it difficult for Ukraine
Republican Congressman Mike Gallagher, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, says that “the fact that the documents were leaked appears to pose a wide-ranging problem for counterintelligence.”
“We’re talking about things that could harm our nation’s security and the CIA’s efforts in Europe and around the world,” Gallagher told The New York Times.
The leak could make it more difficult for Ukraine in the war against Russia, by revealing which Russian authorities the US has the best knowledge of. That, in turn, could be used by Russia to cut off US intelligence gathering, according to the newspaper.
Unclear who leaked
Current and former US government officials anonymously told The New York Times that the extent of the damage is not yet known, but that there is a risk of direct consequences on the battlefield if Russia is able to cut off the flow.
It is still unclear who leaked the documents. The Washington Post has identified the user who originally posted the documents on Discord, and has determined that the person appears to be a resident of Southern California.
The newspaper’s reporters have tried in vain to contact the person’s parents through home visits. A man who answered the front door of a house registered to the Discord user’s father declined to comment.
“I’m not talking to anyone,” said the man.