US and NATO documents on war plan spill onto internet

Spread on Twitter and Telegram, they contain charts and details about weapons deliveries to Ukraine and battalion strengths.

Ukrainian servicemen ride a Dutch YPR-765 armoured personnel carrier near Bakhmut on Thursday. Picture: AFP

Secret documents that provide details of US and NATO plans to help prepare Ukraine for a spring offensive against Russia have spilt on to social media, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The Pentagon said it was assessing the reported security breach. “We are aware of the reports of social media posts, and the department is reviewing the matter,” deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said.

The documents were spread on Twitter and Telegram, and contain charts and details about weapons deliveries and battalion strengths. Information in them is at least five weeks old, with the most recent dated March 1.

One of the documents summarised the training schedules of 12 combat brigades, and said nine of them were being trained by US and NATO, and needed 250 tanks and more than 350 mechanised vehicles.

The documents – at least one of which was labelled “top secret” – were circulated on pro-Russian government channels. Information in them also details expenditure rates for munitions under Ukraine military control, including for Himars. Analysts warned that some of the papers appeared to have been altered in a disinformation campaign by Russia, with one inflating Ukrainian troop deaths and minimising Russian losses.

AFP