Russland vs. Ukraine

[Schneemann]

Eine seltsame Geschichte...

Leaked Pentagon documents provide rare window into depth of US intelligence on allies and foes

(CNN) — Highly classified Pentagon documents leaked online in recent weeks have provided a rare window into how the US spies on allies and foes alike, deeply rattling US officials, who fear the revelations could jeopardize sensitive sources and compromise important foreign relationships. Some of the documents, which US officials say are authentic, expose the extent of US eavesdropping on key allies, including South Korea, Israel and Ukraine.

Others reveal the degree to which the US has penetrated the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, largely through intercepted communications and human sources, which could now be cut off or put in danger. Still others divulge key weaknesses in Ukrainian weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes and readiness at a critical point in the war, as Ukrainian forces gear up to launch a counteroffensive against the Russians – and just as the US and Ukraine have begun to develop a more mutually trusting relationship over intelligence-sharing.

Ukraine has already altered some of its military plans because of the leak, a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN. [...] “The Department of Defense continues to review and assess the validity of the photographed documents that are circulating on social media sites and that appear to contain sensitive and highly classified material,” Singh said in a statement. “An interagency 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.” [...] The documents appeared online last month on the social media platform Discord, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN. The posts are photos of crumpled documents laid on top of magazines and surrounded by other random objects, such as zip-close bags and Gorilla Glue. It is as if they had been hastily folded up and shoved into a pocket before being removed from a secure location, a source familiar with these kinds of documents told CNN. [...]

One document reveals that the US has been spying on Zelensky. That is unsurprising, said the source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak. The US intelligence report, which is sourced to signals intelligence, says that Zelensky in late February “suggested striking Russian deployment locations in Russia’s Rostov Oblast” using unmanned aerial vehicles, since Ukraine does not have long-range weapons capable of reaching that far. [...]

Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said on his Telegram channel Friday that he believes the documents that have been disseminated are inauthentic, have “nothing to do with Ukraine’s real plans” and are based on “a large amount of fictitious information” disseminated by Russia.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/09/polit...index.html

Wie man es auch dreht und wendet, die Geschichte bleibt konfus. Zumal es zwei recht eng aufeinander folgende Leaks gab. Gut möglich, dass der erste Teil der veröffentlichen Dokumente durchaus echt ist - und dass die Ukrainer auch ihre Probleme haben, dürfte sicher jedem klar sein -, aber dass die zweite Veröffentlichung eine Art Gegenmaßnahme darstellt, um den Schaden einzudämmen. Zumindest würde ich es so machen, wäre ich ein US-Geheimdienstler...

Bedeutet also, dass die ersten Veröffentlichungen natürlich irgendwo ärgerlich sind und tatsächlich korrekte Inhalten haben könnten, aber da man relativ wenig dagegen tun (außer medial dagegen anzureden) und sie auch nicht mehr wieder "einfangen" kann, veröffentlicht man selbst eine zweite Charge mit inkorrekten Inhalten und empört sich öffentlich-medial über die "neuerlichen Leaks". Ganz kann man den Schaden zwar so nicht abfedern, aber wenigstens kann man die erste Charge der Veröffentlichungen so etwas einnebeln - und so auch den Russen den Wind aus den Segeln nehmen. Und im Hintergrund sollte man bitte rasch herausfinden, wo das Leck besteht..

Schneemann