‘No risk’ Pentagon leak affects Ukraine’s counteroffensive – defence intel chief
The alleged leak of classified US department of defence documents, some of them uncovering potentially damaging information, will not affect Ukraine's counteroffensive planning, Ukraine’s defence intelligence chief believes.
In an interview with US TV channel ABC News, the first since the leak came to light, Kyrylo Budanov confirmed he spoke with his US. counterparts soon after the incident.
"We have communication with relevant services in the US," he added, "and from literally the first few hours, we started to talk."
Mr Budanov downplayed the likely impact the revelations will have on the battlefield, as Ukraine endures a second year of Russia's invasion.
"If there is a problem, it will be solved. If there is no problem, even better. This will not be able to affect the real results of the offensive operation," Ukraine’s defence intelligence chief told ABC News.
On April 6, 2023, the New York Times reported a "leak" of allegedly classified documents from the Pentagon online, some of which relate to Ukraine's preparations for a counteroffensive (as of early March).
According to the leaked documents, the US used signals intelligence, which covers intercepted communications, that is those obtained from electronic signals from communication systems, radars and weapons systems.
The US believes that part of the leak was falsified by Russia. All sides say publicly that this could be psy-ops to deceive the adversary. Kyiv declared that it was fake and "it does not concern the real plans of Ukraine."
On Thursday, US authorities announced that Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air Force National Guard, was arrested in connection with the leaked documents probe.
