May 1, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

The damage caused by “UkraLeaks” to the United States is comparable only to “WikiLeaks”


The US found itself in a very difficult position after leaking classified documents from the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies, and this is considered their biggest defeat in the field of intelligence since 2010, when Wikileaks published its materials on Iraq.

From the point of view of the media, the greatest damage was caused by data related to the Ukrainian conflict. So far, it has not been possible to find out who is behind this leak of documents, despite the fact that the US intelligence agencies named a certain gamer under the nickname OG, and no one is sure if the revelations end there or there will be more. However, it is assumed that the leak was probably made by an American or a group of Americans. At the same time, on Wednesday, April 12, the Washington Post newspaper already stated that it was a 20-year-old young man who worked at a military base.

Gamer Chat

The publication says that the guy shared secret information with a small group of like-minded people who share his “love for weapons, military equipment and God” on the popular Discord platform among gamers. On Wednesday, Discord said it was cooperating with law enforcement to investigate the leak.

The private Discord chat that got the files was created in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It consisted of about 20 people, including teenagers. All of them were interested in weapons and military affairs, in particular, they discussed the situation in Ukraine.

In this chat there was a user under the nickname OG. Other chat participants describe him as a charismatic young man at the age of 25. According to a Washington Post interlocutor, OG began publishing classified documents in 2022, hundreds of messages – almost verbatim transcripts of secret intelligence documents, which, as the military himself said, he brought home from work at a “military base.” However, for a long time they did not attract the attention of other chat users due to the specific military jargon that none of them knew. Sometimes OG annotated some of the posted documents, such as explaining what “NOFORN” meant – the information in the document was so confidential that it could not be shared with foreign nationals.

According to a member of the group, OG insisted that he was not working in the interests of any country, that he was not a Russian or Ukrainian operative. He was not hostile to the US government, but believed that the authorities were seeking to suppress their citizens and keep them in the dark.

According to the publication, OG has been uploading documents to the server all winter. On February 28, another user under the nickname Thug Shaker Central began posting several dozen photos of secret documents in another open chat, after which they appeared on Russian Telegram channels.

What did “OG” publish:

  • Ukrainian air defense systems will soon run out of ammunition. According to documents dated February 2023, the SA-11 Ovod air defense system will run out of estimated ammunition at the end of March (i.e. ended), and the S-300 air defense system will run out at the end of May. Both systems account for about 89% of Ukraine’s air defenses and are vital to deterring Russian missile attacks. This means that from now on, the Russians will be able to freely launch as many missiles as they want.
  • No less important is the revelation by American officials that the Ukrainian counterattack, on which all the hopes not only of Ukraine but also of the West were based on victory over Russia, will not bring impressive results. In particular, the “top secret” document indicates that the United States doubts Kyiv’s ability to retake important territory, since an assessment conducted in early February indicates a shortage of training and ammunition for the Ukrainian army. In fact, calculations show that due to the very well-organized defensive positions of the Russian army, Kyiv will not be able to achieve its goals. The Russian Armed Forces know that if they “swallow” any Ukrainian counter-offensive, then the war will actually end in victory for Moscow, and Kyiv will be forced to negotiate (and the West with it). At this point, the Russians are fortifying their positions at key points on the Ukrainian front, where they know that the Ukrainians will be forced to “let their forces through” from there to conduct a large spring counterattack.
  • The leaked documents also contain information gathered by US intelligence about the positions of Russian troops in Ukraine, which will likely lead to a reduction or cessation of interception of communications and possible internal leaks in Russia. Analysts say Russia is aware of US intelligence gathering practices and is already moving towards better organizing itself and eliminating potential leaks in its intelligence system.
  • The documents allege that the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad was behind the nationwide protests against the Netanyahu government and its plan for judicial reform. According to the documents, Mossad called on its employees and citizens to protest against the reform, which was eventually canceled thanks to the protests. The leaks also show that the US was spying on an important ally in the Middle East. There is no doubt that M. Netanyahu, now that he has evidence, will receive the “head” of the head of the Mossad.
  • But tensions have also risen in US relations with South Korea, as the Americans appear to be on the lookout for another close ally. Leaked documents say South Korea is open to supplying US artillery rounds for resupply, although the government is concerned about the diversion of such ammunition to Ukraine.
    The South Korean president said most of these documents were forged, and the opposition downplayed the fact that the US was spying on South Korea.
  • Another huge revelation from these documents is that Egypt supplied approximately 40,000 122mm shells to Russia. According to these documents, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the production and shipment of tens of thousands of rockets and shells to Russia. At the same time, it is alleged that he ordered this operation to be carried out in the strictest secrecy so that there would be no problems with the West. US congressmen argue that if this information is confirmed, the US will have to change its entire strategy and relations with Egypt. But the truth is that the US needs Egypt more than Egypt needs the US.
  • Of particular significance is the revelation that another alleged US ally, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), planned to cooperate with Russian intelligence against US and British intelligence agencies. The document says US intelligence caught the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor to the KGB, in contact with the OAU, saying UAE security officials agreed to the plan. However, the United Arab Emirates has said that these claims are completely false.

It is noteworthy that, according to the statement of “OG”, if they try to arrest him, many more hundreds of documents will be leaked to the Internet, which may turn out to be no less sensational than the previous ones. Such a statement smacks of complete naivety, which contradicts the characterization given by the OG gamer’s friends on the Discord chat: “He is a smart person. He certainly knew what he was doing when he posted these documents. These were not some random leaks.”

However, this can also be a game of special services, when they sacrifice small things for the sake ofOmore. And the presence in the leak of supposedly important materials that cannot have a serious impact on the United States can serve as proof of the veracity of the rest of the information.



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