4/9/23

By Aditi Jha

Several highly classified intelligence documents were leaked onto the internet, containing detailed, confidential information about the Ukrainian and Russian militaries, the war in Ukraine, analysis from intelligence agencies of various different countries such as Russia and China and more. It showed advanced satellite imagery technology that the United States uses to track Russian forces and lots of information on intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, law enforcement agencies and the National Reconnaissance Office, named "arguably the most secretive intelligence agency" by the Washington Post. This revealed an alarming amount of data on how much the US spies on both its allies and enemies. Photographs of the documents were shared on Discord, a gaming platform, by user to a server titled "Wow Mao." It was shared in late February and early March, but officials only became aware that it was on a public server when the New York Times reported the leak on Thursday. On Friday, another batch of over 100 Pentagon documents spread on Twitter, revealing more confidential information from US spy agencies about not just Russia, but countries such as Israel and South Korea. The documents are circulating on social media and many allies of the US have had to deny claims made in the reports. On Sunday, Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, released a statement denying that the foreign intelligence agency of Israel advocated for Israeli citizens and its staff to protest against the government, saying, "The Mossad and its serving senior personnel have not engaged in the issue of the demonstrations at all and are dedicated to the value of service to the state that has guided the Mossad since its founding." The spy agency is not supposed to deal with politics, though it doesn't have a defined purpose. One of the leaked documents said there were French soldiers in Ukraine, which France's defense ministry denied on Saturday evening. A spokesperson said that "There are no French forces engaged in operation in Ukraine. The documents cited do not come from the French armies. We do not comment on documents who source is uncertain." Russia says that the documents contain "fictitious information." And on Sunday, government officials in South Korea said that they intended to have "necessary consultations with the US side" over the information shown in the documents suggesting that the US spied on South Korea. The Washington Post reports that there will also be fallout for countries such as the UK and Canada because of the intelligence briefings on their some of their activities as well. The documents additionally show Russia attempting to purchase arms from a NATO ally, Turkey, in order to fight against Ukraine. This might spell out further diplomatic controversies, as a NATO ally's possible involvement in the Ukraine-Russia conflict to support Russia is a big deal. A defense official said that they "need to manage this well both internally and externally," because "there are a lot of institutions and agencies involved." There is a Justice Department investigation taking place into the leak. 

That's the news for today! Stay safe!