The Kremlin announced today, Monday, that there is a "general trend" to blame Russia for everything, responding to questions regarding allegations that Moscow was behind the leak of U.S. intelligence documents concerning several countries, including Ukraine. In response to a question about Russia's involvement in the leak, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, "I cannot comment on this in any way. You and I know that there is, in fact, a constant trend to blame Russia for everything. This is, in general, a malady." Peskov described the leaks as "very interesting." He acknowledged the possibility of Washington spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stating, "This is not excluded." He added, "The fact that the United States has been spying on several heads of state, especially in European capitals, has been repeated many times and has caused many embarrassing situations."
Two U.S. officials stated that American security agencies are working hard to deal with the fallout from the leak of dozens of classified documents, including the impact on the exchange of sensitive information within the government and on relations with other countries.
According to a source close to President Zelensky, Ukraine had to modify some of its military plans before a highly publicized counter-offensive due to the leak of U.S. classified documents.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters that Ukraine's strategic plans have not changed, but more precise tactical plans are always subject to change. He added, "Operational and tactical scenarios are constantly being revised based on the assessment of the situation on the battlefield, the availability of resources, and intelligence information about enemy resources, and so on." However, there are "strategic tasks that are unchangeable."
The Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, told Reuters, "We are working on our plans... The opinions of those who have nothing to do with the matter do not concern us," clarifying that the circle of those who possess the information is extremely limited.
Former U.S. Defense Department official Michael Mulroy noted that "the focus now is that this is a leak from the United States because many of these documents were only in the possession of the United States."
The unverified documents reportedly contain information about the war in Ukraine, including the losses of both sides and other details.
