The United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry warned on Tuesday that some of the purportedly leaked U.S. classified documents are false and could be disinformation.
The Biden administration is frantically investigating a trove of classified documents that have been posted on social media sites in recent days and weeks that range in topics from the war in Ukraine to U.S. efforts to spy on allies such as Israel and South Korea, though there’s a possibility that either the leaker or any others involved could manipulate or alter the documents.
LEAKED PENTAGON DOCUMENTS SHOW HOW DEEP US HAS PENETRATED RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE
“The widely reported leak of alleged classified U.S. information has a serious level of inaccuracy,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement. “Readers should be cautious about taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation.”
One of the dozens of documents that have surfaced on social media in recent days revealed that a Russian fighter jet nearly shot down a British jet last September off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea. A Russian plane came within roughly 15 feet of the British plane on Sept. 29 in a similar incident to the one in March when a Russian pilot collided with a U.S. drone.
When secret U.S. slides leaked out yesterday, Russian propaganda channels quickly reposted them — but after a little photoshop. Suddenly, 43.5k 🇷🇺 fatalities turned to 17.5k, while 17.5k 🇺🇦 KIA became 71.5k. Russian vehicle losses shrank from 6,004 to 600. Spot the differences. pic.twitter.com/8lyoWaKcwj
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) April 7, 2023
It’s unclear who is responsible for the massive breach and if more documents will be released, while questions remain about the accuracy of each one.
One document in particular appeared to show Russia and Ukraine’s casualty totals, only for a subsequent photo to appear online showing distorted casualty numbers that favor Russia. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the posts looked like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts.
South Korean officials have also warned that documents released regarding its government also appear to have been altered.
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One of the related documents released provided insight into an alleged internal discussion among top aides to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol regarding a debate about whether to provide the United States with artillery shells due to a long-standing policy of not providing weapons to warring countries. The intelligence seemingly indicates, if true, that the U.S. had spied on its ally.
“On the US government’s alleged wiretapping, the defense ministers of the two countries agreed that ‘a considerable amount of the documents were fabricated,’” South Korea’s presidential office said.
