U.S. Defense investigates consequences of ‘leaked’ government documents

The US Department of defense has launched an investigation into the possible consequences of leaking a large number of secret government documents. The papers contain sensitive information about, among other things, China, the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.

The Pentagon said on Sunday that it is both trying to establish the authenticity of the documents and assessing the dangers the leak could pose to the security of the United States and other countries. In addition to the defense analysis, the US Department of justice has launched a criminal investigation into the leak.

The documents were initially distributed via social media Discord and 4chan. U.S. officials anonymously told Reuters on Friday that they believed Russia or pro-Russian groups were behind the leak. However, several security experts told the news agency on Sunday that they suspect an American is behind it, because many of the documents were only in American hands.

Sources from The Washington Post state that some leaked documents appear to have been altered, such as papers mentioning a much smaller number of Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine than official U.S. estimates. Other documents, according to the sources, correspond to reports that the CIA distributes among high-ranking officials from the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department.