By News Room
Ukrainian leaders do not believe that a major US intelligence leak will seriously harm the fight against the Russian invasion. The main reason is that Kiev has long refrained from sharing the most sensitive operational information lest the data fall into enemy hands.
Ukrainian and American officials said this week that only the Ukrainians knew about some of their combat plans. Even Ukraine’s most important ally, the United States, does not have access to its most sensitive data. This means that leaks of classified military documents, including documents assessing Ukraine’s weaknesses and advantages on the battlefield against Russia, may not be enough – at least for now – to change the course of the war.
“If military actions are planned, then only a very narrow circle of people know about the planning of a special operation,” Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said on Ukrainian television on Wednesday. “The risk of leaks is very minimal on critical military issues.”
Nevertheless, in the United States, information leaks were taken very seriously. Previously undisclosed secret data regarding the security of Ukraine, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and other countries has been published on the Internet. Senior Biden administration officials are working to stop the posting of classified information on social media and websites and prevent long-term damage to relationships with allies and strategic partners.
It is possible that even more important documents will be published in the future. Documents leaked online continue to be posted on social media, and subsequent revelations may become more damaging to Ukraine than those released so far.
Meanwhile, Russia is making it clear that it is reviewing all data that has leaked into the network. “Quite interesting,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said of the leaks.
However, Russian military bloggers wonder if the leaks themselves are US disinformation, designed to mislead Russia into making the Ukrainian military look vulnerable.
Ukrainian authorities and ordinary citizens of the country have made it clear that they cannot afford any quarrels over leaks with the United States, which has already provided over $100 billion in military and civilian support to Ukraine. .
“It’s a shame that things like this happen,” Natalia Maltseva, a Kyivan, told The Associated Press. – I trust Joe Biden, I know he is an experienced person who loves Ukraine. I’m sure everything will be fine.”
The secret of Ukraine’s offensive plans remains out of jeopardy, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in Washington on Tuesday after talks with his Ukrainian counterpart.
“They have a big plan…but only President Zelenskyy and his leaders really know all the details of that plan,” the Pentagon chief said.
Members of Ukraine’s government and military leaders who traveled to European and North American capitals this week to secure arms supplies and Western loans answered questions about whether the leaks would damage relations with United States. They all said that unity among allies is one of Ukraine’s most vital military needs.
The details revealed are “unpleasant to hear,” Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told reporters in Madrid on Wednesday.
“There’s a lot of information that’s not true,” Reznikov added, without going into detail. “And the real information has already lost its relevance.”
He described the leaks as a targeted operation, for the benefit of Russia, in order to “lower the level of confidence between the allies”.
Concerns about the impact of the intelligence leaks were raised during meetings with Ukrainian officials in Kiev on Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin said. The West Virginia Democrat was accompanied on the trip by Senators Mark Kelly of Arizona and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, as well as country music artist Brad Paisley on a one-day official visit, to the during which they met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other dignitaries.
The documents show real-time data from February and March on Ukraine and Russia’s positions on the battlefield and the exact amount of combat equipment lost and returned to Ukraine by its allies.
They also show how close to depletion Ukraine’s vital air defense systems are, with stocks expected to be depleted as soon as the end of this month or in May, without significant replenishment. This will open the skies of Ukraine to more Russian air strikes and artillery, which have already caused significant damage to cities and infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters in Toronto before arriving for talks with Austin in Washington, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal downplayed the danger, expressing optimism that Ukraine would get new stockpiles of air defense missiles. of the Soviet era that it needs.
“Our air defense will be very effective,” Shmygal told Canadian CTV. “We will have all the equipment.”
As leaked information reveals previously unknown details, Ukraine and its allies have publicly warned of the desperate need for a national air defense system.
John Cypher, a former senior CIA official and Russia expert, said while the leak is “despicable”, he doesn’t think it will really harm Ukraine’s military effort. The intelligence community’s most protected and sensitive secrets tend not to appear in Department of Defense records, he said.
And since much of the information coming out of Russia appears to come from electronic intelligence, it will be difficult for Moscow to “change its procedures and equipment on the fly during a war,” Cypher said.
Adviser to the Ukrainian President Mikhail Podolyak called the leaked assessments of the course of the war partially false, noting that the documents do not contain actual operational information. The strategy and tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are developed by the military command, and this work has not been directly affected, he said in an interview with The Associated Press.
“Operational scenarios are still in development as the frontline is flexible and changes are being made every day,” he said.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, U.S. officials have reportedly discussed in private discussions how Ukrainian leaders keep military secrets. A common complaint was that Americans knew more about Russia’s military status than Ukraine’s.
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Source: US and Ukraine assess extent of threat from leak of classified documents
