A leak of categorized paperwork detailing secret US and NATO plans to assist Kyiv seems like a Russian disinformation operation to sow doubts about Ukraine’s deliberate counter-offensive, a Ukrainian presidential official says.
Mykhailo Podolyak advised Reuters the leaked information reported by the New York Occasions contained a “very great amount of fictitious info” and that Russia was making an attempt to grab again the initiative in its invasion.
“These are simply customary components of operational video games by Russian intelligence. And nothing extra,” he mentioned in a written assertion on Friday.
Reuters was not instantly capable of evaluation the leaked paperwork.
The New York Occasions reported on Thursday the Pentagon was investigating how paperwork detailing plans to construct up the Ukrainian army for a deliberate offensive had been posted on social media channels this week.
“Russia is on the lookout for any method to seize again the initiative,” Podolyak mentioned. “To attempt to affect the eventualities for Ukraine’s counteroffensive plans. To introduce doubts, to compromise the … concepts, and eventually to intimidate (us) with how ‘knowledgeable’ they’re.”
Ukrainian troops have for months confronted a Russian onslaught in its east concentrated across the metropolis of Bakhmut. It hopes to launch a counter-offensive within the coming weeks or months to wrest again territory held by Russia.
The Occasions report mentioned the paperwork appeared to have been modified in sure elements. One half provided an estimate for Ukrainian army losses that was far increased than Western estimates made obtainable to this point.
Ukraine doesn’t disclose the dimensions of its losses.
