Ukraine’s leaders discussed ways to prevent leaks of military information yesterday after secret documents detailing US and Nato efforts to help the country plan a counter-offensive against Russia’s invasion reportedly appeared on social media.
The New York Times said, citing senior US officials, that classified war documents were posted this week on Twitter and Telegram, which is widely used in Russia.
A Ukrainian official told Reuters the documents contained a “very large amount of fictitious information” and the posts looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about the offensive, which requires advanced Western weapons.
“These are just standard elements of operational games by Russian intelligence. And nothing more,” presidential official Mykhailo Podolyak said in a statement. The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The announcement by the presidential office of talks yesterday at the Ukrainian headquarters of the armed forces supreme command attended by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy made no mention of a leak having occurred.
“The participants of the meeting focused on measures to prevent the leakage of information regarding the plans of the defence forces of Ukraine,” it said.
It was not clear whether the discussions centred on preventing leaks from within Ukraine or from among the Western partners it now shares information with, after an initial reluctance in the immediate aftermath of Russia’s invasion.
The Times said the documents did not reveal when or where the offensive would take place but that the leak could affect trust between the allies as it gave timetables for the delivery of weaponry and Ukrainian troops trained by the West.
They appeared to have been modified in places, overstating American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and underestimating Russian military casualties, the paper said, adding that US officials were working to get the posts taken down.
Asked to comment, a Pentagon spokesperson said: “We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter.”
US officials said in Washington that Russia or pro-Russian elements were likely to have been behind the leak.
One document posted on social media said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian forces had been killed since the invasion. The US believes the actual figure is much higher, at around 200,000 Russians killed and wounded, officials say.
British intelligence said earlier that Russian forces were threatening a key supply route to Bakhmut, the focus of their assault for months which Ukraine has said it is defending to wear the invaders down before its counter-offensive.
The Ukrainian military said it was holding on in the city but the situation was difficult.
Donetsk is one of four provinces in eastern and southern Ukraine that Russia declared annexed last year and is seeking to fully occupy in what appears to be a shift in its war aims after failing to overrun the country early in the war.
Yesterday’s daily update from British military intelligence contrasted with the usual emphasis on Ukrainian successes.
“Ukraine’s key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened,” it said. Ukrainian military expert Vladyslav Selezniov has said Ukraine will have to pull back if the route for getting supplies in and wounded out is threatened.
Eastern Military Command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut and understood Russian intentions.
Meanwhile, Russian forces used ground- and air-fired missiles, rocket launchers and weaponised drones to bombard the provinces of Ukraine it has illegally annexed but doesn’t fully control, causing casualties, building damage and power outages yesterday.
The Ukrainian military said Russian forces launched 18 airstrikes, five missile strikes and 53 attacks from multiple rocket launchers between Thursday and yesterday mornings.
According to the General Staff statement, Russia was concentrating the bulk of its offensive operations in Ukraine’s industrial east, focusing on the cities and towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Marinka in Donetsk province.
Looking ahead to how the war might end, Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov, said his country would negotiate peace with Russia only after its occupied territory is liberated. He said Zelenskyy has made clear he would negotiate only with Putin’s successor to ensure peaceful coexistence.
Regarding armament procurement, Reznikov said Ukraine’s top priority is for antiaircraft systems, followed by artillery ammunition, infantry vehicles, tanks and electronic warfare equipment, including drones and anti-drone technology.
In the latest fighting, the Ukrainian military said it downed a Russian Su-25 ground attack jet near Marinka. A video showed a big explosion as the plane slammed into the ground, with its pilot descending on a parachute. The Russian military, in keeping with its general silence on losses, didn’t confirm the warplane’s downing.
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