Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine comments on the alleged “leak of information about the counteroffensive”

“Classified NATO military documents” regarding the plans of the Armed Forces of Ukraine which have been allegedly “leaked” into the network contain distorted information about losses on both sides.

Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, confirmed that part of the data was also collected by OSINT from open sources.

“The preliminary analysis of these materials show false and distorted figures on losses from both sides and part of the information collected by OSINT tools from open sources,” Yusov said.

He added that since the Pentagon was conducting an investigation, it was worth waiting for official information, however Ukrainian society “had no reason to worry.”

According to him, the needs of the Ukrainian army were discussed a lot at all levels.

“It is not a secret for anyone that Ukraine asks questions about aviation, tanks, ammunition and other things that are needed for the faster liberation of the occupied territories and saving lives,” Yusov said.

He also suggested that the Russians could have forged documents and data to disrupt or slow down Western aid to Ukraine, destabilize the situation in Ukraine, or stabilize sentiment in Russia.

“It should be remembered that in recent decades, the most successful operations of the Russian special services were carried out in Photoshop. Whether we are dealing with a leak or with a certain psychological operation — I think there will be answers in the near future,” the intelligence representative summed up.

He added that there would be a counteroffensive, and the main plans of the enemy would be seen and felt on the battlefield. Yusov also agreed with the words of Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security Council, that no more than five people in the world were familiar with the counteroffensive plan: “Mr. Danilov knows what he is talking about. This is top secret information. The final decision is taken by the Ukrainian military-political leadership.”

Earlier, The New York Times reported that there had been a “leak” of classified military documents on Twitter and Telegram regarding US and NATO plans to increase the capabilities of the Ukrainian army before the planned counteroffensive.

The documents do not contain specific plans for hostilities — how, when and where Ukraine intends to launch an offensive. The documents refer to the needs of the Ukrainian army as of March 1.

According to analysts, some of the documents look authentic and may provide the Russian Federation with valuable information about the schedules of the delivery of weapons and troops, the number of formed Ukrainian units and other military details. According to the publication, the Pentagon is investigating who could be behind the leak of these documents. Mykhailo Podoliak, an adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated that the materials about the alleged preparation of the Ukrainian counteroffensive “leaked” on the social network were fake.