Some of the leaked documents shed light on Washington’s alleged espionage efforts against key allies
Officials from several U.S.-allied countries have rushed to push back against alleged revelations made in a leak of classified Pentagon documents describing Washington’s clandestine activities.
Dozens of sensitive documents – which the Wall Street Journal said began appearing online as early as January but only gained media attention last week – focused on US war planning in Ukraine and provided a rare insight into Washington’s efforts to spy on both adversaries and allies.
One of the documents claimed, as reported by The Washington Post, that last September a Russian fighter jet nearly shot down a British RC-135 reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea, potentially triggering a direct conflict between NATO and Moscow.
However, an unnamed UK defense source told the Financial Times that “These reports contain inaccuracies and do not reflect what happened in international airspace over the Black Sea.”
Commenting on the leaks, Seoul dismissed the allegation that Washington tried to spy on high-ranking South Korean officials while “absurd and false” noting that any attempt to eavesdrop on internal discussions in the presidential compound in Seoul should overcome “watertight security”.
Joining the chorus of denials over the Pentagon leaks, Bulgaria’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that it “did not hold talks on the free supply of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine” as it would undermine Sofia’s defensive abilities.
Israel also responded to leaked reports alleging the country could supply lethal weapons to Ukraine if pressured enough. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel provided Ukraine with humanitarian aid and civil defense systems, there had been “no decision on lethal weapons.”
Ukraine, which figures prominently in the documents, also called the leaks fake. Mikhail Podoliak, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, described them as a ploy by Moscow to derail the planned Kyiv counteroffensive, given that the documents detail US and NATO plans to strengthen Ukrainian forces ahead of the long-awaited spring operation.
Despite the wave of denials, several Western media outlets reported that the leaks sent shockwaves through Washington, sending US President Joe Biden’s administration into “crisis mode”. The Pentagon said the documents are a problem “Very serious risk” in Washington, and an evaluation of the files is in progress.
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