2023-04-11 03:55:01 ET
U.S. officials are scrambling to track the source of a major leak of classified documents, which included details on Ukraine's defense plans and intelligence on diplomatic allies, and are reviewing how they share secrets internally.
These documents appeared on social media sites in recent weeks, some of which were meant to be seen only by those with the highest security clearance levels.
Officials and national security experts suspect the leak may have been caused by an American, although pro-Russian actors have not been ruled out, Reuters reported.
The leak , which is said to be one of the largest in the U.S. military's history, is currently being investigated by the Department of Defense.
While foreign allies of the U.S. are largely silent on the matter, the leak has ruffled feathers and is being closely watched. South Korea has spoken to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the incident, and Australia has sought further information, Bloomberg reported .
U.S. officials earlier said the documents originated in the government, but some may have been altered. The documents were reportedly changed to understate estimates of Russian casualties and overstate those of Ukrainian forces.
The documents also showed that the Biden administration is of the view that Ukraine could run out of ammunition for its air defenses by May. The government also appears to be pessimistic about Ukraine's prospects in retaking territories captured by Russian forces.
This contrasts Biden's earlier stance. "When Putin launched his invasion nearly one year ago, he thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided. He thought he could outlast us, but he was dead wrong," Biden said in his visit to Ukraine earlier this year .
For further details see:
US officials rush to track source of major intel leak - report