Infighting Among Russian Officials Worse Than Previously Known, New Leaked Docs Show
A new set of leaked classified intelligence documents sheds light on the extent of infighting among Russian officials over the country’s war in Ukraine. According to the New York Times, the new 27-page set of documents, which is separate from the 53-page intelligence document that leaked last week, shows that Russian agencies are in a dispute over the count of the dead and wounded in the Ukraine war. The Federal Security Service accuses the Defense Ministry of obfuscating Russian casualties in Ukraine.
American intelligence officials who analyzed the document said the finding highlights “the continuing reluctance of military officials to convey bad news up the chain of command.” The leaked intelligence also demonstrates “how deeply American spy agencies have penetrated nearly every aspect of the Russian intelligence apparatus and military command structure,” the Times reported.
The documents were posted on the same Discord servers as last week’s set of Pentagon papers. U.S. officials, when presented with the documents by the Times, did not dispute the information but declined to independently verify them. President Joe Biden said his administration is investigating the matter.
The Times identified the leaker of at least the first batch of documents as 21-year-old National Guardsman Jack Teixeira. How Teixeira gained access to the documents is unknown.
The materials also reveal new information about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to personally resolve a dispute between military officials and a paramilitary organization, as well as shed light on Russia’s struggle to slow Western supplies flowing into Ukraine. One slide from the military’s Joint Staff and dated Feb. 23 states that Russia has failed to disrupt the massive flow of Western arms and equipment into Ukraine since the start of the war, and that the Kremlin’s battered military will not be able to change that anytime soon. “During the next six months, Russia’s economic challenges and degraded conventional capabilities very likely will further impede its efforts, creating a mostly permissive environment for continued lethal aid deliveries,” the document said.
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