April governmental document leak explained

Throughout April, numerous Pentagon documents were leaked onto internet boards across platforms, revealing classified information about U.S. government actions. The documents discussed intelligence spying on U.S. enemies and allies, the Russo-Ukraine War, the use and development of weapons by other countries, and other national security issues.

Originally, U.S. officials said officials that Russian spies were likely behind this major intelligence breach. In reality, it was Airman First Class Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old man living with his parents in Dighton, Mass. and serving on the National Guard. Teixeira posted photocopies of the Pentagon documents on a Minecraft discord server called “Thug Shaker Central.” He leaked over 100 pages of documents, which seem to be from the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) of the State Department (DOS), the National Security Agency (NSA), and even the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). According to sources, Teixeira wished to keep these documents within the server as a way for other members to make their own opinions from unfiltered and unanalyzed data and information rather than circulated news on television and media platforms.

There are a number of disparities between what the media has reported and what the documents say. According to the BBC, the storyline that Ukrainian forces are holding their own against the Russian war machine is one that we should question.

Leaked battle analysis documents show that the chances of Ukrainian victory are “catastrophically” low compared to what Americans have been told, with talk of surrender circulating among forces with depleted morale. Meanwhile, Russian Spetsnaz commando units have been butchered by Ukrainian forces while on a number of high-risk special missions such as the capture and execution of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Spetsnaz’s casualties were only estimated in a few units, but all show severe losses across most deployed brigades, such as the 346th brigade, who “lost nearly the entire brigade with only 125 personnel active out of 900 deployed.”

Other alarming discoveries include that there are a number of Western Special Force units on the ground in Ukraine, including American forces. While this American contingent is not on the frontlines against the Russians, we have at least 14 soldiers within the U.S. embassy in Kyiv to provide government oversight on the provisions that the U.S. has been granting to the Ukrainian war effort.

The United States Intelligence has been revealed to have been eavesdropping on a number of parties regarding our relations with the East, as well as non-citizens that use websites by American-owned companies. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, who the U.S. has claimed to be weak on Russia, has been tapped by U.S. spies for the past few months. Everything from South Korea’s National Security Council and North Korea’s weapons programs to Colombia, Nicaragua and the Gulf Cartel in Mexico has been under watch by U.S. Intelligence in gauging where countries and organizations are moving considering the increasing temperatures on the global stage.

Information on Egypt has also surfaced, including the fact that 40,000 missiles that Egypt has manufactured were planned to be shipped to Russia, with the United States actively knowing about this. Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi is considered one of America’s closest allies when it comes to Middle Eastern relations, and has been the benefactor of much of American foreign aid. According to a document, Sisi wished to keep the production and shipment of the 40,000 rockets confidential “to avoid problems with the West.”

All of these discoveries have brought into question the security of these documents, considering the level of confidentiality and age of the leaker. The 21-year-old has been charged on two counts under the Espionage Act, while the government is now reeling to clean the mess caused, as despite the U.S. Intelligence being arguably the most sophisticated information gathering system in the world, it has the possibility to be breached by simple overlooked safeguards. The Federal Government is likely to enact further measures to prevent further intelligence breaches as we continue to see the fallout of this leak come to fruition.