A few of the leaked paperwork make clear Washington’s alleged spying efforts in opposition to key allies
Officers in a number of US-allied international locations have scrambled to push again in opposition to the alleged revelations made in a leaked trove of categorised Pentagon paperwork outlining Washington’s clandestine actions.
Dozens of delicate paperwork – which, in accordance with the Wall Road Journal, started to emerge on-line as early as January however didn’t obtain media consideration till final week – centered on US warfare planning in Ukraine and offered a uncommon glimpse into Washington’s efforts to spy on each adversaries and allies.
One of many paperwork claimed, as reported by the Washington Publish, that final September, a Russian fighter jet nearly shot down a British RC-135 reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea, which might have probably sparked a direct battle between NATO and Moscow.
Nevertheless, an unnamed British protection supply informed the Monetary Instances that “these stories include inaccuracies and don’t replicate what occurred in worldwide air area over the Black Sea.”
Commenting on the leaks, Seoul dismissed the allegation that Washington tried to spy on high-ranking South Korean officers as “absurd and false,” noting that any efforts to snoop on inside discussions within the presidential compound in Seoul must overcome “watertight safety.”
Becoming a member of the refrain of denials over the Pentagon leaks, the Bulgarian Protection Ministry mentioned on Monday that it “has not held talks on the free provision of MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine” as it will undercut Sofia’s protection capabilities.
Israel additionally addressed stories on the leaks which alleged that the nation might present deadly weapons to Ukraine if put beneath sufficient strain. On Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned that whereas Israel has been offering Ukraine with humanitarian help and civil protection programs, there was “no choice about deadly weaponry.”
Ukraine, which looms massive within the paperwork, additionally dismissed the leaks as faux. Mikhail Podoliak, a senior aide to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, portrayed them as a ploy by Moscow to derail Kiev’s deliberate counteroffensive, on condition that the paperwork element US and NATO plans to construct up Ukraine’s forces earlier than the much-anticipated spring operation.
Regardless of the flurry of denials, a number of Western media retailers reported that the leaks despatched shockwaves by way of Washington, sending the administration of US President Joe Biden into “disaster mode.” The Pentagon has mentioned that the papers pose a “very severe threat” to Washington, and an evaluation of the recordsdata is ongoing.
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