More Doubts About The 'Leaked' Briefing Slides - Updated
Updated below (17:30 UTC)
When media reported on the first batch of 'leaked' Pentagon briefing slides they also published pictures of the originals.
Then came a second round which conveniently was more about bashing Russia than on the releases itself. Those leaks were labeled as new or from a previously unknown source. Among those stories were:
No Russia-Ukraine peace talks expected this year, U.S. leak shows - Washington Post, Apr 12, 2023
The grinding war between Ukraine and Russia is expected to bleed into 2024 with neither side securing victory yet both refusing to negotiate an end to the conflict, according to a Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that is among the highly sensitive U.S. government materials leaked online and obtained by The Washington Post.
...
“Negotiations to end the conflict are unlikely during 2023 in all considered scenarios,” says the document, which has not been disclosed previously.
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A stalemate also will result in Ukraine enacting the “full mobilization” of its remaining eligible population, the document predicts, sending more young men to the front lines.
Leaked US intel: Russia operatives claimed new ties with UAE - Associated Press, Apr 12, 2023
U.S. spies caught Russian intelligence officers boasting that they had convinced the oil-rich United Arab Emirates “to work together against US and UK intelligence agencies,” according to a purported American document posted online as part of a major U.S. intelligence breach.
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The document viewed by the AP includes an item citing research from March 9 with the title: “Russia/UAE: Intelligence Relationship Deepening.” U.S. officials declined to confirm the document’s authenticity, which the AP could not independently do. However, it resembled other documents released as part of the recent leak.
The slides I have seen so far are from late February and the first days of March. A March 9 document is new.
New Leaked Documents Show Broad Infighting Among Russian Officials - New York Times, Apr 12, 2023
The additional documents, which did not surface in a 53-page set that came to wide public attention online last week, paint a picture of the Russian government feuding over the count of the dead and wounded in the Ukraine war, with the domestic intelligence agency accusing the military of obscuring the scale of casualties that Russia has suffered.The new batch, which contains 27 pages, reinforces how deeply American spy agencies have penetrated nearly every aspect of the Russian intelligence apparatus and military command structure.
(The piece is bylined by Bellingcat's Aric Toler.) There is no explanation where the "additional documents" are coming from or how they were found.
US thinks UN chief too accommodating to Moscow, leaked files suggest - BBC, Apr 13, 2023
The US believes the UN secretary general is too willing to accommodate Russian interests, according to fresh revelations in classified documents leaked online.
....
It is the latest from a leak of secret documents, which US officials are scrambling to get to the bottom of.
I am also curious about the selective reporting of a second stash of documents by mainstream media.
This looks to me like someone is now piecemeal feeding additional 'intelligence' to the various outlets. Each runs a different stories. If this is from a common stash how come that these outlets seem to have coordinated who is taking on what briefing slide?
No pictures of the underlying briefing slides has appeared in this second round of 'leaks'.
Now the Washington Post claims to have lots of information about the person that 'leaked' the first stash of the Pentagon briefing slides:
The man behind a massive leak of U.S. government secrets that has exposed spying on allies, revealed the grim prospects for Ukraine’s war with Russia and ignited diplomatic fires for the White House is a young, charismatic gun enthusiast who shared highly classified documents with a group of far-flung acquaintances searching for companionship amid the isolation of the pandemic.United by their mutual love of guns, military gear and God, the group of roughly two dozen — mostly men and boys — formed an invitation-only clubhouse in 2020 on Discord, an online platform popular with gamers. But they paid little attention last year when the man some call “OG” posted a message laden with strange acronyms and jargon. The words were unfamiliar, and few people read the long note, one of the members explained. But he revered OG, the elder leader of their tiny tribe, who claimed to know secrets that the government withheld from ordinary people.
The young member read OG’s message closely, and the hundreds more that he said followed on a regular basis for months.
I am skeptical of that way too neat story. Is this "mutual love of guns, military gear and God" for real?
The tale does not really explain how the 'reporters', the Post's intelligence and national security scribe Shane Harris and Samuel Oakford of Bellingcat fame, found the person or why it was willing to completely spill its beans:
This account of how detailed intelligence documents intended for an exclusive circle of military leaders and government decision-makers found their way into and then out of OG’s closed community is based in part on several lengthy interviews with the Discord group member, who spoke to The Washington Post on the condition of anonymity. He is under 18 and was a young teenager when he met OG. The Post obtained consent from the member’s mother to speak to him and to record his remarks on video. He asked that his voice not be obscured.His account was corroborated by a second member who read many of the same classified documents shared by OG, and who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. Both members said they know OG’s real name as well as the state where he lives and works but declined to share that information while the FBI is hunting for the source of the leaks.
One does not use real names when joining a gamers talk server or similar venues. So even if the Post had that member's online 'name' there would usually be no way to find it.
Did the teen gamer contact the Post? But why would s/he talk at all about the issue?
And why would the Post publish so many details about the person? This will evidently make it easy for the FBI to identify her or him.
The Post also claims that the stash is much bigger than previously known:
The Post also reviewed approximately 300 photos of classified documents, most of which have not been made public; some of the text documents OG is said to have written out; an audio recording of a man the two group members identified as OG speaking to his companions; and chat records and photographs that show OG communicating with them on the Discord server.
But the Post does not say where those 300+ documents come from or what they are about. Are they not the more important story?
We have pictures of the first stash of the files. The briefing slides seem real to me. The language is correct Pentagon lingo. The abbreviations used are typical. But some of the information therein, like the casualty numbers, is dubious. Do the Joint Chiefs of Staff really get briefed with Ukrainian defense ministry numbers that are know to be mere fantasies? The Pentagon and/or the CIA certainly have their own casualty estimates. Why not brief those?
We have seen no picture of any slide that the additional stories are based on. Why were those not published?
A plausible explanation is that the first release was a real leak but that someone is now pushing new 'leaks' to dedicated outlets that are only half true or mere propaganda.
On top of that the Washington Post story about 'OG' is not only weird but suspicious.
At Naked Capitalism Lambert Strether and Yves Smith also have doubts about it:
Yves and I discussed this piece; it seems to us remarkably “shiny”; perhaps written, from clues in tone and structure, by an entity other than the bylined “reporter.” The central character in the excessively tight narrative, “OG,” the leaker, is putatively a Christian, a gun enthusiast, and something akin to a cult leader of a group of disaffected teenagers on the Discord server where the documents were found; his motive in placing the documents there seems to have been to consolidate his authority and moral ascendancy over his group. Meanwhile, “OG” seems almost perfectly calculated to fit neatly into the “fascist traitor” hole in liberal heads. I wonder if we’ll ever find him? One can see “The Hunt for OG” storyline persisting for many weeks, good job. [...] As far as cui bono, Yves points out that obvious next steps are to pass the pernicious Restrict Act and exert authority over yet another platform, Discord.
Or is all of this a diversion from the Ukrainian loss of Bakhmut?
Or was all this leaked as a warning to the White House by someone high up in the security state?
Seymour Hersh's latest about Zelensky's corruption may give a clue. A summary of the paywalled Hersh piece says:
Meanwhile, Hersh, citing an intelligence official, said that the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines and lack of strategic planning with regard to Ukraine had caused a growing rift between the White House and the US intelligence community.“There is a total breakdown between the White House leadership and the intelligence community,” the intelligence official was quoted by Hersh as saying.
The alleged rift dates back to the covert operation last fall to blow up Russia’s Nord Stream pipelines, a move that was purportedly ordered by President Joe Biden.
“Destroying the Nord Stream pipelines was never discussed, or even known in advance, by the community,” the official said.
Another issue dividing the Biden administration and the intelligence community is the lack of planning on Ukraine. The official highlighted Biden’s decision to deploy two brigades a few miles from the Ukrainian border in response to Russia’s special military operation.
If there is some bad blood between the military or intelligence community and the White House the whole 'leak' story may well have been placed to limit the White House's option.
Update (17:30 UTC)
The New York Times has found the 'leaker' and published his name and whereabouts.
Leader of Online Group Where Secret Documents Leaked Is Air National Guardsman
The leader of a small online gaming chat group where a trove of classified U.S. intelligence documents leaked over the last few months is a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, according to interviews and documents reviewed by The New York Times.The national guardsman, whose name is Jack Teixeira, oversaw a private online group named Thug Shaker Central, where about 20 to 30 people, mostly young men and teenagers, came together over a shared love of guns, racist online memes and video games.
The lead writer byline starts with Erin Toller of Bellingcat fame, another byline is of Christiaan Triebert, formerly Bellingcat. It was Triebert who who tweeted out the NYT story:
Christiaan Triebert @trbrtc - 16:02 UTC · Apr 13, 2023We've identified the leader of the Discord group where top secret U.S. documents were leaked — it's a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, specifically its intelligence wing. Gift link, no paywall:
Here’s what we know about the leader of the online group where secret documents were leaked.
One writer byline of a Washington Post piece above was Samuel Oakford likewise a former Bellingcat writer.
We know that Bellingcat is an outlet for the British external intelligence service MI6. This thereby looks very fishy:
chinahand @chinahand - 17:11 UTC · Apr 13, 2023if bellingcat id'd the leaker wonder if gchq fed some breadcrumbs so nsa could continue to maintain "we don't surveil US citizens w/o a warrant". there's a whole 5 eyes tagteam built around dodging national restrictions on surveillance, i think
I for one find it extremely concerning that the Washington Post and the New York Times worked more intensely on identifying the source of the leaks that the leaked briefing slides. Since when is it their job to find people who endanger the national security state?
/End Update/
Posted by b on April 13, 2023 at 14:39 UTC | Permalink
next page »Could be damage control: sow doubts in people's minds about the leaks by leaking more and leaking bad. Obviously somebody wants to keep their options open as to a possible "off-ramp".
Posted by: Jonathan W | Apr 13 2023 14:46 utc | 2
As the White House did with the classified documents: order a hit at Mar-a-Lago and then gradually find classified docs on Uncle Joe's premises, too. Make a bid deal only of the former, show that Uncle Joe is cooperating in the latter, saying it was a mistake. Compound the former with the Manhattan case and the Georgia thing.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Apr 13 2023 14:49 utc | 3
How does the alleged ignorance of the intelligence community about the Nord Stream attack get squared with Hersh's own reporting that the intelligence agencies were instructed to prepare a cover story for the Nord Stream attack in collaboration with German intelligence?
Posted by: JT | Apr 13 2023 14:49 utc | 4
You have covered all the sus aspects I am wondering about b. I guess there is more to come on this story.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 14:50 utc | 5
Hijacked the original leaked Docus as a warning to the White House by someone high up in the security state, or another faction not desirous of going up in a mushroom cloud ? Not monolithic.
Now a convenient diversion from the Ukrainian loss of Bakhmut & the imminent follow-on consequences thereof with Avdiivka, defense lines & no counter-offensive, no ADS, no munitions, depleted trained manpower & materiel ... with FABulous big bada bombs, guided glided & just dumb iron, at & beyond FEBA ...
Bad blood between the military &/or intelligence community and the White House/Neocons/Straussians the whole 'leak' story may well have been hijacked to limit the White House's options & current course towards Armageddon.
Works for me.
Ah, late stage Empire collapse.
I had just read today about the alleged identity of the alleged classified leaker less than an hour ago. The description of the "charismatic" = conservative, evangelical Christian, "gun enthusiast" = political conservative, is obviously intended to scapegoat and demonize the political enemies of the Biden administration. To be blunt, I am amazed that such a lowly, inexperienced, unvetted person might have been allowed access to such classified documents. If so, then the Biden regime is getting exactly what it deserves.
Posted by: Elmer Fudd | Apr 13 2023 15:02 utc | 7
A house divided cannot stand. First it was Democrats against Republicans, then Republicans against MAGA, then the US against Europe, then Democrats against MAGA, then one wing of the security state against another. As someone said: not a monolith. At all.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Apr 13 2023 15:02 utc | 8
Which explains this new leak about divisions in Russia: projection. An engineered as well.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Apr 13 2023 15:05 utc | 9
All stinks of theatre. From here we cannot figure out who is the stage manager or what his motivation is. We are audience.
Posted by: oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 15:12 utc | 10
Or was all this leaked as a warning to the White House by someone high up in the security state?
Or to usher in Patriot Act 2.0.
Posted by: Sun of Georgia | Apr 13 2023 15:13 utc | 11
@ Elmer Fudd | Apr 13 2023 15:02 utc | 7
amazed that such a lowly, inexperienced, unvetted person might have been allowed access to such classified documents
FYI, a possible E7/E8 MI NCO, late 20's/early 30's, TS(PV-2), with Compartmented SCI & multiple Codeword briefed access. FUDD.
@ oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 15:12 utc | 10
Fog should clear some soon enough. Has only been ~7 days ...
Although the comparison isn't exact, imagine how the media today would spin the Pentagon Papers as they would consist of various electronic docs and PowerPoint slides, and what we're seeing from BigLie Media is what we're seeing. IMO, the initial analysis done that the leaker has the proper clearance to obtain the docs, that s/he sees it as duty to disclose, because Biden et al are lying to the public while pushing mass murder onto Ukrainians and engaging in direct conflict with Russia that could easily get out-of-control because it's being driven by insane Neocons. Why is the conflict happening? Because the Outlaw US Empire invaded and captured the Ukrainian government in 2014, waged proxy war against Russians in Ukraine, refused to obey the UNSCR that was supposed to halt the war and provide a political solution because they didn't want to halt the war, all of which is being lied about, and those lies are what current policy and media narrative are based upon. Yes, Biden et al has lied itself into a corner in a manner similar to how the Fed has cornered itself via false analysis of the financial crisis because of its ideology. But nowhere in media is this ideology being discussed; it's only here and at other like sites where the basis for all this is being discussed. And now it's trying desperately to lie its way out, for to admit the truth would be to cede Biden's 2024 reelection chances.
OG? Original gangster! The guy is fellow a 1990ties hip hopper! Respect ma brotha!
Oh, by the way, in the words of Chuck D: don’t believe the hype.
Posted by: Jörgen Hassler | Apr 13 2023 15:20 utc | 14
if this is indeed a house divided that's a good sign, at least some of the beltway morons have a survival instinct. if not, well, the situation is the same, Russia is going to win in Ukraine, and it will be up to the us how to respond.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Apr 13 2023 15:22 utc | 15
Emil Cosman on the gamer leaks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbZtCSQIo4U
He brought up something I also wondered about.The leaker was in his early twenties. I take that to be anywhere from 20 to 25.
Outraged
I don't know a lot (anything) about the security levels on the docs that are on the internet. I assume they would have been marked with something to indicate who could view them in the US. I assume that would have to do with security clearances, experience, level in the pecking order ect. Any thoughts on that.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 15:23 utc | 16
cue "James Hendrickson" coming on to "warn" us again that we should shut our mouths about this and in particular not show the documents because it would be "illegal", even for those who live on other continents.
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 13 2023 15:25 utc | 17
@Outraged | Apr 13 2023 15:15 utc |
FUDD - female urinary diversion device
Posted by: Ново З | Apr 13 2023 15:28 utc | 18
I read yesterday that half the information in the documents was true and the other half was fake. Why would they put fake info on classified documents? They're off their bloody rockers.
Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | Apr 13 2023 15:41 utc | 19
From ZH:
Biden Says Feds 'Getting Close' To Finding Leaker As "Young Gamers" On Discord Theory EmergesPresident Biden announced Thursday while speaking to reporters that US authorities are "getting close" to uncovering the source of the leak of a trove of sensitive Pentagon documents which defense officials say contain "sensitive and highly-classified material." They been subject of widespread reporting over the past days, despite the White House urging media not to publish their contents.
"I can’t right now [give an update]. There is a full-blown investigation going on with the intelligence community and Justice Department and they are getting close," Biden said during his trip to Ireland. "I don’t have an answer for you."
That tells you more than you need to know. Theater.
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 13 2023 15:42 utc | 20
I've been sceptic of the authenticity of the leaks from the word go. The good thing is that the Kremlin is also not showing much enthusistic about the leaks, unlike the revelations from Seymour Hersh. I'm actually beginning to think that this "fraudlent leaks" is a way to remove attention from Seymour Hersh's serial revelations. Because even the semi-credulous first batch of the leaks doesn't contain anything acute observers and commentators have not speculated about before.
Posted by: Steve | Apr 13 2023 15:47 utc | 21
At this point, imo, this is about the regime change of Joe Biden. His Administration makes a clusterfuck look like a work of art. Biden can't beat Trump, even if the latter is running from Epstein's old prison cell.
The game is to get Biden to do the LBJ thing, declare not to run in 2024 and begin (AS A DISTRACTION) the full blown Circus of the 2024 election cycle.
cheers!
Posted by: gottlieb | Apr 13 2023 15:50 utc | 22
Aside from the patently just too good to be true match to the desired radical white male Christian boogeyman false narrative, it comes from the Washington Post, a long known CIA psy-op warfare media/journo-list organ pf record. And if it truly was a real serious leak clown world would be going crazy trying to find the leaker and do the Seth Rich to them.
Like you say Mr. MofA, such slick koinkydinks.
Posted by: mtnforge | Apr 13 2023 15:51 utc | 23
thanks b.... would have been better to label this anonymous as OJ, lol...
its all muddying the waters... that seems like the intent on the surface... i like you conclusion at the bottom which i will quote again and thanks btw to the poster 'first time poster' for sharing sy hershs commentary yesterday..
"If there is some bad blood between the military or intelligence community and the White House the whole 'leak' story may well have been placed to limit the White House's option."
that makes the most amount of sense to me...
i agree with karlof1, outraged and a few others here..
Posted by: james | Apr 13 2023 15:51 utc | 24
For those interested in how the Western MIC is co-opting gaming communities and content providers this Youtube channel would, I think, provide an interesting case study:
https://www.youtube.com/@PerunAU/about
Posted by: Chancey Gardener | Apr 13 2023 15:52 utc | 25
Pentagon is obviously at war with Intelligence offices and possibly State Department, that has been quite clear since the beginning of the war. Looks like the White House is more aligned with the latter, which is utterly stupid and delusional.
As for the leaks, indeed, Occam would say the first photographed batch is genuine, but claims about new leaks without anybody having seen them online, and probably clams about the leaker are just opportunistic bullshit to let people believe Russia is still losing and right-wing militants are objective allies of Evil Putin (tm).
Posted by: Clueless Joe | Apr 13 2023 15:52 utc | 26
Yes b, agreed, the second batch is clearly damage control, muddying the waters, and propaganda following the (mostly) catastrophic implications of the original releases. And yes, the yarn about the young gun nut ('OG') who got his hands on a huge stack of secret documents and shared them with his buds is obvious smoke-blowing. The latest fable, about the dissident Pentagon employee is somewhat more plausible. The whole show is reminiscent of an ants' nest that's been stirred with a stick.
Mostly good news for the Russians I would think.
Posted by: pasha | Apr 13 2023 15:52 utc | 27
If we are to believe that the motivation behind this leak was to make public the true state of the SMO, and prevent any further Western sponsored escalation, why would the leaker include any documents undermining that motive? The quick identification of a regime opponent is also in stark contrast to the lengthy and fruitless enquiry for the regime supporter, who leaked a preliminary Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade, even though the number who had access to the latter information was far smaller than the former.
Posted by: Milites | Apr 13 2023 15:52 utc | 28
Norwegian @20--
Yes, it's clearly DocuGate as the fiction writers providing the spin go into high gear doig everything possible to shift attention from the initial doc trove to the 100% manufactured profile of the leaker--don't look over here; you need to look over there! We didn't start this; we didn't start this; Russia invaded; Russia invaded; rinse and repeat the BigLies. IMO, RoW isn't fooled one bit.
LoL I seen this movie before back in the 80s. About a young hacker-gamer who breaks into the Defense computer system and almost causes ww3.
The movies is called wargames.
This is the BS the white house and deep state want americans to believe.
And to be honest most dumb americans will believe this.
Fun times.
Posted by: Comandante | Apr 13 2023 15:53 utc | 30
@ karlof1 | Apr 13 2023 15:17 utc | 13
Succint & concise. Preferred pre-selected Dem faction candidate for Prez of our One party faux State, should break cover soon enough, the way things are going to hell in a hand-basket.
@ Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 15:23 utc | 16
All Docu have seen so far appear primarily prepped for briefings for the CJCS & JCS & their Staff. Staff involved & with indirect data access, on distribution lists, suspect over a 1,000 at least, ultimately, given distributed secure data systems. Supposedly strict 'Need-to-know' basis but that has become meaningless over the years. Anyone from agent to contractor to NCO to commissioned officer. Rank/experience not really relevant, more so duty/role/assignment, need-to-know.
Given the Docu sighted that Melaleuca(Shout-out) searched for & posted, as above @ Apr 13 2023 15:15 utc | 12.
Start point minimum Top Secret clearance, Positive Vetting Level 2 as a baseline. Up to 12 month in depth security vetting process.
Then granted required multiple Codeword access & briefed, along with specific access to individual select secure compartmented intelligence (SCI compartments), need-to-know. However, if prepping CJCS & JCS & Staff that covers a lot of classified territory, given inter-agency, inter-branch, inter-allied governments/agencies/militaries. Yet has to be a vetted privileged US national given majority NOFORN(No Foreign) Docu. FISA, SI(SIGINT) & SI-Codeword, NRO, etc are further highly restricted(in a pool of about 1.3M IIRC) TS caveats for example.
@ ThusspakeZarathustra | Apr 13 2023 15:41 utc | 19
Haven't sighted anything that stands out as outright 'fake'. Low quality, low value(Credibility/Reliability) open source(Oryx, ISW, etc) force-fed into classified products, yes. Casualties figures appear to be post leak photo-shopped by the teen gamer re 4chan arguments, not relevant.
Could this leak have something to do with Assange?
Posted by: ElysianFeels | Apr 13 2023 16:02 utc | 32
I think everyone is eagerly awaiting for this new batch of Pentagon Leaks to demonstrate that it was indeed a rogue "Pro-Ukraine" group--and not, repeat NOT AMERICA--that was guilty of the Nordstream terrorist bombing.
Also, these Leaks will clearly show that Weapons of Mass Destruction were actually found in Iraq.
And the September 11th terror attack was most definitely NOT an American Reichstag Fire, or Inside Job, but rather confirm the official story that some dudes in a cave in Afghanistan (who Hate Amurican Freedoms) pulled off the most technologically sophisticated terrorist attack in human history.
Posted by: ak74 | Apr 13 2023 16:03 utc | 33
Fwiw, I suspect that it's finally dawned on the US PTB that they've allowed a bunch of dickheads to get control of US foreign policy. The result being that Russia and China have used diplomacy to repair relationship fractures engineered by other US dickheads. And the Yanks didn't have an inkling until it was TOO LATE.
So now the Yanks are out of their depth and in Panic Mode. Xymphora summed up US Panic Mode nicely several years ago...
"Let's do SOMETHING, even if it's stupid!" I'll bet that right now they're persuading themselves that it's not their fault.
Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | Apr 13 2023 16:03 utc | 34
Is Mr. Lucca the original leaker? He may be the person Washington Post has identified. Why has he not been arrested?
I was under the impression that Mr. Lucca claimed to have found them on some "WowMao Discord server". He then posted them to other social media accounts, including his Twitter account that only had 16 followers.
The only documents that can be confirmed to be part of the leak are the 40 documents seen as thumbnails on the four low-resolution screenshots of Mr. Lucca's four post on some platform and shared on Twitter by Alex Toler. The 30 of these related to Ukraine are now in the public domain.
If the document is not in this patch, then it is possible that it is a hoax.
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Apr 13 2023 16:04 utc | 35
I am still reading a real high noise to signal ratio about the "leaks"
Seems to be more distraction than substance but maybe someone should ask the dying Ukraine and other cannon fodder of empire what they think.
Are we entertained?
Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 13 2023 16:04 utc | 36
How soon being Bellendcrap reports that the latest, latest documents, recovered from Mar-a-Lago natch, show Putin is close to death, addicted to pain-killers and prone to ranting about launching offensives with ‘phantom’ divisions? The good thing is that a growing number of Americans can see the strings on the puppet being jerked around in front of them.
Posted by: Milites | Apr 13 2023 16:05 utc | 37
I find ALL this diversionary and revealing nothing that isn't mutable and thus is all a big bunch of nothing.
Taking up news headlines & news space is a day in day out job producing the kind of reality that isn't.
Hint to the terminally oblivious: if Bellingcat ("the home of online investigations" per them) is in on this it stinks of official propaganda. And that's what all this is.
Posted by: Elmagnostic | Apr 13 2023 16:05 utc | 38
tl;dr: bellingcat = 100% guaranteed absolute bullshit 100% of the time. the best they can do is make up some "MAGA ghost" and - of course - use the whole thing as a ploy to censor more tech platforms. i'm surprised it contained nothing about pissing russian prostitutes.
the fact that this is coming from the bezos blog which is rife with spook connections isn't a good look either.
Posted by: the pair | Apr 13 2023 16:17 utc | 39
@ karlof1 | Apr 13 2023 15:17 utc | 13
Why is the conflict happening?
because war is a racket, and money talks . . . now in Ukraine
. . .from Brown University, on previous wars. . .
This paper examines the total costs of the war in Iraq and Syria, which are expected to exceed half a million human lives and $2.89 trillion. This budgetary figure includes costs to date, estimated at about $1.79 trillion, and the costs of veterans’ care through 2050. Since the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, between 550,000-580,000 people have been killed in Iraq and Syria — the current locations of the United States’ Operation Inherent Resolve — and several times as many may have died due to indirect causes such as preventable diseases. More than 7 million people from Iraq and Syria are currently refugees, and nearly 8 million people are internally displaced in the two countries. . .here
"War is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives. "--Smedley Butler
Posted by: Don Bacon | Apr 13 2023 16:18 utc | 40
@ Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 15:23 utc | 16
The kid who transferred the Docu from the private Discord server to 4chan ~month(?) later to win a juvenile argument by photo-shopping casualties, is not the primary leaker with direct ongoing access(Military), the hierarchical 'father figure' of the pandemic private Discord group. Checkout previous thread articles re recap/comments, custody chain/linkages/timelines.
Superficial/uninformed commentators coverage/opinions only creates even yet more FUD to be exploited ...
@ mtnforge | Apr 13 2023 15:51 utc | 23
How do you know that has not already happened ?
although tangential, i think ted gioias article on substack today is relevant to this moa article..
The Scarcest Thing in the World
- trust...
Posted by: james | Apr 13 2023 16:20 utc | 42
BREAKING IN NYT
Leader of Online Group Where Secret Documents Leaked Is Air National Guardsman
Federal investigators are searching for the person who leaked top secret documents that revealed government secrets about the Ukraine war.
Posted by: Jonathan W | Apr 13 2023 16:26 utc | 44
Outraged no. 31
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine's defence minister said on Wednesday the alleged Pentagon document leaks contain a mixture of true and false information about his country's military, but he downplayed its negative impact.
I guess i read it wrongly. I just saw the headline and skipped it cos it's ridiculous.
Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | Apr 13 2023 16:28 utc | 45
Posted by: Elmagnostic | Apr 13 2023 16:05 utc | 38
Hard to disagree with your assessment. The children however have crayons and are colouring madly and will continue to do so as long as they are supplied with paper
Posted by: Paul Greenwood | Apr 13 2023 16:31 utc | 46
Leaks = O.B.F.U.S.C.A.T.I.O.N.
+
Trangender movement = P.R.O.V.O.C.A.T.I.O.N.
=
D.I.V.I.D.E & C.O.N.Q.U.E.R. the "OPINION".
Posted by: Greg Galloway | Apr 13 2023 16:33 utc | 47
It would be fairly easy for AI and a creative programmer to devise an App: TS Document Swap. Then any hack would be able to insert numbers and words for future briefings that looked real. Fact or fiction, the cat is out of the bag.
Posted by: TMartin | Apr 13 2023 16:35 utc | 48
TsZ @ 19
There would never be any reason for classified intelligence to be reliable and predictable. Even for the original intended consumers of the product a lot of spin and fakery would be completely normal.
Posted by: oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 16:38 utc | 49
GoodGawd they are getting sloppy! At this point it’s bordering on pathetic….
Ah well I guess the expression ‘slowly at first, then very suddenly/all at once’ applies here.
Paging James Hendrickson! Quick, we need a reminder on our internet P’s & Q’s because I dont think we are properly terrified of the Wizard and his Flying Monkeys.
FUD & Dooooooom I tell you!!
Posted by: Chevrus | Apr 13 2023 16:39 utc | 50
These leaks are doing exactly what's intended, distracting all of us from the Anglo-Saxon collapse and providing an exit ramp from Ukraine.
Clear as day this is a desperate ploy from a brain dead, coked up group of neocons in London and Washington who don't know their arse from their elbow.
Posted by: Eoin Clancy | Apr 13 2023 16:40 utc | 51
Gilbert Doctorow, What are the Russians saying about the intelligence leak in the USA?
My own view is that some of the material is most likely genuine but not necessarily all of it, especially things released after the initial dump. Someone wishing to muddy the waters would likely take the opportunity to do so by seeding it with disinformation and psyops.
Posted by: Tom Hickey | Apr 13 2023 16:42 utc | 52
The CIA is in the Ukraine debacle up to their eyebrows, so I don’t buy the argument that the intelligence community is clean on the matter. It may be that the DIA and the NSA are backing away from the mess, hoping it all lands on the Vegetable in Chief, but this is clearly another CIA fiasco; Bay of Pigs on steroids.
Posted by: William Gruff | Apr 13 2023 16:43 utc | 53
@ Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 16:23 utc | 43
Most welcome. Um, to put it another way, generic TS material(in the '80's would only be Secret(Endemic over classification)) would not appear particularly special or remarkable to most informed MOA readers. Yet, start adding Codeword restricted & SCI compartments further restricted 'content' to that base, it's another Situ entirely. For example the signals interception/collection material re Orban's cabinet discussions or the low quality HUMINT from CIA ...
Cheers.
@ ThusspakeZarathustra | Apr 13 2023 16:28 utc | 45
One ignores anything the Ukraine regime officials vomit up, regardless, zero credibility sustained from day one. AFU & UAF officers/spokesmen are sometimes credible re particular specifics, though unreliable, IMV.
@ oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 16:38 utc | 49
Increasingly externally politicized silo force-fed, predetermined, starting 1980(WH, Ollie North, Iran-Contra), 1990 (Gulf War I, WMDs, Al-Qeada), and 2001(New American Century, Iraq War '03, WMD, aluminum tubes, outing NOC agents, Curveball) onwards, getting evermore farked through each period thru to today. Cheney, Wolfowitz, Powell, Blinken, Nuland, Clapper, Comey, Petraues ...
Outraged | Apr 13 2023 16:19 utc | 41
The wapo article is about the primary leaker who was supposedly head of a younger group (wapo interviewing a teenage member of the group) which is what I was thinking about.
So what do we have, five or so clear images of docs that all the ex military, ex spooks agree are genuine. According to a comment up thread there are a number more low definition pics though I haven't checked on that. That they were picked up from 4chan by social media accounts seems ok. For how they got to 4chan, we have to go to wapo and other msm. Bellingcrap involvement in that. MSM also quoting docs not seen anywhere in the wild....
But 4chan, I guess to me everything before that point and how they got there is sus.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 16:52 utc | 55
I don't see how any of this makes sense.
First, the idea that US domestic intelligence would be unable to immediately penetrate the "anonymous" status of Discord posters seems ludicrous to me.
Second, the notion that some teenaged kid, on his own, was able to obtain the documents which experts like Larry Johnson believe are authentic and would thus had to have been physically removed from briefings and/or briefers and then photographed strikes me as equally unlikely.
Third, the most inflammatory leaked docs deal with events and analysis of Ukraine that occurred within the past month or so. This doesn't jibe well with the idea that leaked documents have been posted for much of 2022. It would seem to indicate that the leaks have been ongoing for months, with all the problems inherent in the caveats of my second objection.
Posted by: William Quick | Apr 13 2023 16:57 utc | 56
Sorry, this whole "leak" is US disinformation dressed up to look real. The US military is still hyping the Iranians and N. Koreans providing weapons to Russia meme although they have no proof of it. They continue to claim that Russia is running out of ammo but that's more likely to be Russia being conservative with the US claiming that the massive attack that will see the Ukraine reclaiming all the territory that they've lost including some that wasn't theirs (like Crimea). And then, Russian intelligence has been penetrated more than we imagined flies in the face of a long history of Russia identifying and tagging spies very quickly. So, no. I think this is fake news.
Posted by: Jeff Harrison | Apr 13 2023 17:02 utc | 57
@William Quick | Apr 13 2023 16:57 utc | 56
I don't see how any of this makes sense.It is not supposed to make sense, this is the Empire of Chaos. You are supposed to be confused. Makes sense?
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 13 2023 17:03 utc | 58
@ Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 16:52 utc | 55
Download the High Res Docu Melaleuca(Shout-out) searched for & posted, which RSH collected & hosted on Google Drive, previous thread(At top linked by b).
~38 Docu all up, which is inclusive of the original six I linked re counter-offensive analysis back on Apr6'23. Have reviewed 'em all. Recommend reading the 'Suyi' accompanying commentary.
Or simply go here (archive.today) & enable Chinese translation re text commentary. Maybe print to PDF ? :)
here, I believe, the complete Seymour Hersh via ZNet:
"Trading With the Enemy
Amid rampant corruption in Kiev and as US troops gather at the Ukrainian border, does the Biden administration have an endgame to the conflict?
By Seymour HershApril 13, 2023
The Ukraine government, headed by Volodymyr Zelensky, has been using American taxpayers’ funds to pay dearly for the vitally needed diesel fuel that is keeping the Ukrainian army on the move in its war with Russia. It is unknown how much the Zelensky government is paying per gallon for the fuel, but the Pentagon was paying as much as $400 per gallon to transport gasoline from a port in Pakistan, via truck or parachute, into Afghanistan during the decades-long American war there.
What also is unknown is that Zelensky has been buying the fuel from Russia, the country with which it, and Washington, are at war, and the Ukrainian president and many in his entourage have been skimming untold millions from the American dollars earmarked for diesel fuel payments. One estimate by analysts from the Central Intelligence Agency put the embezzled funds at $400 million last year, at least; another expert compared the level of corruption in Kiev as approaching that of the Afghan war, “although there will be no professional audit reports emerging from the Ukraine.”
“Zelensky’s been buying discount diesel from the Russians,” one knowledgeable American intelligence official told me. “And who’s paying for the gas and oil? We are. Putin and his oligarchs are making millions” on it.
Many government ministries in Kiev have been literally “competing,” I was told, to set up front companies for export contracts for weapons and ammunition with private arms dealers around the world, all of which provide kickbacks. Many of those companies are in Poland and Czechia, but others are thought to exist in the Persian Gulf and Israel. “I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are others in places like the Cayman Islands and Panama, and there are lots of Americans involved,” an American expert on international trade told me.
The issue of corruption was directly raised with Zelensky in a meeting last January in Kiev with CIA Director William Burns. His message to the Ukrainian president, I was told by an intelligence official with direct knowledge of the meeting, was out of a 1950s mob movie. The senior generals and government officialsin Kiev were angry at what they saw as Zelensky’s greed, so Burns told the Ukrainian president, because “he was taking a larger share of the skim money than was going to the generals.”
Burns also presented Zelensky with a list of thirty-five generals and senior officials whose corruption was known to the CIA and others in the American government. Zelensky responded to the American pressure ten days later by publicly dismissing ten of the most ostentatious officials on the list and doing little else. “The ten he got rid of were brazenly bragging about the money they had—driving around Kiev in their new Mercedes,” the intelligence official told me.
Zelensky’s half-hearted response and the White House’s lack of concern was seen, the intelligence official added, as another sign of a lack of leadership that is leading to a “total breakdown” of trust between the White House and some elements of the intelligence community. Another divisive issue, I have been repeatedly told in my recent reporting, is the strident ideology and lack of political skill shown by Secretary of State Tony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The president and his two main foreign policy advisers “live in different worlds” than the experienced diplomats and military and intelligence officers assigned to the White House. “They have no experience, judgment, and moral integrity. They just tell lies, make up stories. Diplomatic deniability is something else,” the intelligence official said. “That has to be done.”
A prominent retired American diplomat who strenuously opposes Biden’s foreign policy toward China and Russia depicted Blinken as little more than a “jumped-up congressional staffer” and Sullivan as “a political campaign manager” who suddenly find themselves front and center in the world of high-powered diplomacy “with no empathy for the opposition. They’re decent pols,” he added, “but now we have the political and energy world all upside down. China and India are now selling refined gasoline to the Western world. It’s just business.”
The current crisis is not helped by the fact that Putin also is acting irrationally. The intelligence official told me that everything Putin has been “doing in Ukraine is counter to Russia’s long-term interests. Emotion has overcome rationality and he’s doing things that are totally nonproductive. And so are we going to sit down with Zelensky and Putin and work it out? Not a chance.”
“There is a total breakdown between the White House leadership and the intelligence community,” the intelligence official said. The rift dates back to the fall, when, as I reported in early February, Biden ordered thecovertdestruction of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea. “Destroying the Nord Stream pipelines was never discussed, or even known in advance,by the community,” the official told me. “And there is no strategy for ending the war. The US spent two years planning for the Normandy invasion in World War II. What are we going to do if China decides to invade Taiwan?” The official added that the National Intelligence Council has yet to order a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on defending Taiwan from China, which would provide national security and political guidance in case such does happen. There is no reason yet, despite repeated American political provocation from both Democrats and Republicans, the official said, to suspect that China has any intention of invading Taiwan. It has lost billions building its wildly ambitious Belt and Road Initiative aimed at linking East Asia to Europe and investing, perhaps foolishly, in seaports around the world. “The point is,” the official told me, “there is no working NIE process anymore.
“Burns is not the problem,” the official said. “The problem is Biden and his principal lieutenants—Blinken and Sullivan and their court of worshippers—who see those who criticize Zelensky as being pro-Putin. ‘We are against evil. Ukraine will fight ’til the last military shell is gone, and still fight.’ And here’s Biden who is telling America that we’re going to fight as long as it takes.”
The official cited the little-known and rarely discussed deployment, authorized by Biden, of two brigades with thousandsof America’s best army combat units to the region. A brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division has been intensively training and exercising from its base inside Poland within a few miles of the Ukrainian border. It was reinforced late last year by a brigade from the 101st Airborne Division that was deployed in Romania. The actual manpower of the two brigades, when administrative and support units—with the trucks and drivers who haul the constant stream of arms and military equipment flowing by sea to keep the units combat ready—could total more than 20,000.
The intelligence officials told me that “there is no evidence that any senior official in the White House really knows what’s going on in the 82nd and 101st. Are they there as part of a NATO exercise or to serve with NATO combat units if the West decides to engage Russians units inside Ukraine? Are they there to train or to be a trigger? The rules of engagement say they can’t attack Russians unless our boys are getting attacked.”
“But the juniors are running the show here,” the official added. “There’s no NSC coordination and the US army is getting ready to go to war. There’s no idea whether the White House knows what’s going on. Has the president gone to the American people with an informative broadcast about what is going on? The only briefings the press and the public get today are from White House spokespeople.
“This is not just bad leadership. There is none. Zero.” The official added that a team of Ukrainian combat pilots are now getting trained here in America to fly US-built F-16 fighter jets, with the goal, if needed, of flying in combat against Russian troops and other targets inside Ukraine.” No decision about such deployment has been made.
The clearest statements of American policy have come not from the White House, but from the Pentagon. Army General Mark A. Milley, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said of the war last March 15: “Russia remains isolated. Their military stocks are rapidly depleting. Their soldiers are demoralized, untrained, unmotivated conscripts and convicts, and their leadership is failing them. Having already failed in their strategic objectives, Russia is increasingly relying on other countries, such as Iran and North Korea. . . . This relationship is built on the cruel bonds of repressing freedom, subverting liberty and maintaining their tyranny. . . . Ukraine remains strong. They are capable and trained. Ukrainian soldiers are . . . strong in their combat units. Their tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored vehicles are only going to bolster the front line.”
There is evidence that Milley is as optimistic as he sounds. I was told that two months agothe Joint Chiefs had ordered members of the staff—the military phrase is “tasked”—to draft an end-of-war treaty to present to the Russians after their defeat on the Ukraine battlefield.
If worse comes to worst for the undermanned and outgunned Ukraine army in the next few months, will the two American brigades join forces with NATO troops and face off with the Russian army inside Ukraine? Is this the plan, or hope, of the American president? Is this the fireside chat he wants to give? If Biden decides to share his thoughts with the American people, he might want to explain what two army brigades, fully staffed and supplied, are doing so close to the war zone."
Posted by: AG | Apr 13 2023 17:04 utc | 60
Well, that didn't take long.
NEWS: The leader of a small online gaming chat group where a trove of classified U.S. intelligence documents leaked over the last few months is a 21-year-old member of the intelligence wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.
OG will probably be charged as well, with taking a ton or two of explosives in a small boat when on a diving trip in the Baltic. To clear that news story up at the same time.
Actually the first leaks must have had some truths hidden in them, and the second lot have been since leaked to discredit the first ones. Just as the Symour Hersch article was taken out of circulation by the "small boat" drivel.
I was thinking about Hersh's published gossip where his informant made Tony Blinken "a mere jumped-up Congressional staffer". No that is not correct. It amounts to a diversion.
Blinken is Sam Posar's stepkid. Blinken grew up chez Posar in Paris, which is why he does not act so much the American. Posar was Robert Maxwell's attorney. Posar was also the unique and only witness to Maxwell falling off the yacht. Without the seamus there is no death at all. Body never found. Because there wasn't one. Maxwell then had a showy state funeral in Israel, attended by everyone in Israeli politics and everyone past or present from Mossad. So where does this leave Blinken? How Mossad is he? Also the angle that he was childhood playpal of Ghislaine. That is his world.
Review for those who don't know. Maxwell was one more Ukrainian Jewish refugee. With no experience and no credentials and very young he is inexplicably put in charge of all occupied Western Germany press immediately after WWII. Takes an English name and becomes big press baron in UK. Cleans out all the pension funds of all his newspapers. Caught dead to rights. His attorney tells him he won't slip away this time. Gets dead. A life of service to Israel. An afterlife of service to Israel. A life of deception snd intrigue and propaganda and lies.
So that is how Blinken started. That is how he knows people. That is how he imagines things are done.
He is the prime customer for much of the intel. How to spin this mug is a big part of the game.
Posted by: oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 17:06 utc | 62
NYT: "Arrest is imminent"
The report suggests he hasn't even been interviewed by authorities yet, but likely the young man can expect a knock on his door at any moment.
Wonderful journalism, even before the "knock on his door".
What a joke.
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 13 2023 17:08 utc | 63
Norwegian no. 63
Yes. Like he'll be sitting there waiting. 😂🤣😂🤣
Posted by: ThusspakeZarathustra | Apr 13 2023 17:18 utc | 64
james | Apr 13 2023 16:20 utc | 42
An interesting article and right. I looked up the Russia pollster not long back, I forget its name at the moment.
Just off memory Putin had a little over 80% approval rating with something like 10% disapproval,
Federal parliament I think was around 60* approval, I don't remember the disapproval rating, and regional government around 40% which is less than the majority.
But that Putin (and I would assume that includes the Kremlin crew) approval rating plus those that don't have an opinion amounts to around 90%. The Russians have plenty of trust in their highest level of leadership. I guess not bullshitting the people helps. I suspect China would be similar though trust in lower levels of government likely higher.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 17:22 utc | 65
my 62
I'm an idiot. Pisar with an "i".
Obviously a speculative post. Make something of it or not.
Posted by: oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 17:24 utc | 66
'First, the idea that US domestic intelligence would be unable to immediately penetrate the "anonymous" status of Discord posters seems ludicrous to me.'
Indeed, anyone accessing using US internet providers, and indeed likely affiliated countries, would have their identities found trivially given the industrial scale data vacumn called the NSA. VPN adds only a speedbump at best. The idea that someone's Discord account is anonymous is ludicrous and seems designed to bring the platform into disrepute or provide additional justification for yet more repressive information laws.
I agree with the emerging consensus that the most likely scenario is internal palace intrigue, where the realist faction through difficult to trace proxies leaked the original documents to disrupt the next wave of escalations, while the most recent reporting by the propagandists and stenographer appears an attempt to shit in the punch bowl. This action would most likely be initiated by the fanatics faction as I term them. Fanatics v Realists.
Not liking our odds frankly. Humans love fairy tales.
Posted by: Doctor Eleven | Apr 13 2023 17:24 utc | 67
German government-friendly, formerly left, daily TAZ:
They have a short Q&A with Kiriakou: Noone here will be impressed but for the record I post a machine-transl. version, since its not so long:
https://taz.de/Ex-Spion-zu-Pentagon-Leaks/!5924595/
by Dorothea Hahn, Washington
"Ex-spy on Pentagon leaks: 'A disinformation program'
Whistleblower John Kiriakou doubts the authenticity of the Pentagon leaks. For him, the published papers have no value.
taz: Mr. Kiriakou, you have experience as a spy and as a whistleblower. What revelations do you see in the Pentagon leak?
John Kiriakou: I'm not sure there are any new revelations. On the one hand, the government seems to be taking it very seriously. On the other hand, both the Russians and the Ukrainians have said it's bullshit.
The U.S. government talks about "serious harm" to national security.
The term "grave harm" is necessary for an indictment for espionage.
But the documents do contain details that were unknown to the public.
A few details are new. But I don't see any groundbreaking new stories. It was no secret that we trained Ukrainian special forces and army personnel - both here in the U.S. and in Poland.
But the papers also contain information about the U.S. spying on its allies.
That's old news. We've been spying on Angela Merkel, too. We've been doing it for decades.
So why is the Defense Department warning that the data released so far could be just the tip of the iceberg?
If this is indeed a leak, that would be very troubling. But if there are reports of Russian and Ukrainian status in the war, and both sides say those are lies, I think more of a disinformation program.
What do you mean by that?
Intelligence agencies often conduct operations to try to influence policymaking in other countries. We do that by circulating information that is not accurate. But you can't just make something up to do that. You have to try to mix the incorrect information with correct information. Covert action campaigns contain 90 or 95 percent true information and disinformation mixed in.
Do you see American or Russian disinformation in this case?
American.
How do you arrive at this assumption?
Because the format and fonts in the headers and footers of the documents are correct. I think someone here had access to real information and to the templates used by US intelligence agencies. If this is a disinformation program, it must have been done by the CIA. Look at the documents that have been published. They do not contain top secret information. They do not reveal sources or methods.
It sounds like a big conspiracy. And it would also mean that those who came up with the leak are now condemning it.
This is intelligence work. That's their purpose in life. I've been doing this for 15 years.
Who benefits from something like this?
The United States.
How?
It confuses our enemies. One of the reports says that the U.S. has infiltrated the Russian military. Is that true? In any case, it's circulating now. And what are the Russians doing? Are they going to arrest generals? That's the point of a disinformation campaign.
Will these revelations change policy and the war?
I doubt it. The CIA wants to do away with its printers to make it harder to print documents. I can only laugh at that. This leak is so small that most people don't care.
The U.S. is only part of the world. The war is happening elsewhere.
The US is so committed to bleeding the Russians dry that with or without disclosure, the Ukrainians will get everything they want.
The U.S. has a long list of whistleblowers. Do you see a new signature in this case?
I am reluctant to talk about whistleblowing here.
Why?
Whistleblowers bring fraud and abuse to the public. They reveal information in the public interest. I've spoken with several other whistleblowers about the documents now being released, including Daniel Ellsberg (who revealed the "Pentagon Papers" about lies in the Vietnam War in 1971; ed.), and Tom Drake (who revealed details about NSA snooping in 2005; ed.). None of us see what the public benefit is here.
END
Posted by: AG | Apr 13 2023 17:24 utc | 68
oldhippie | Apr 13 2023 17:06 utc | 62
It is quite possible that the turmoil we see in the US, is the Pentagon vs. the Ziocons/Mossad influence in the White House. The latter have been the ones doing the pushing for war - where others will have to do the fighting.
Hm, 21 year old from Air National Guard ?! That is a 'very poor fit' re the available Docu, clearances/access, duty/roles. Would only be E3 maybe E4 ...
@ Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 16:52 utc | 55
Privileged access Mil NCO(?) to private Discord group from '22, hand transcribed then photographed Docu over many months, kid member transfers to 4Chan, post a photo-shopped image, someone else Lucca(?) stumbles upon 4chan server cache, posts some, one, then five more end up on Donbas Devushka Telegram, widely reposted in Telegram, then crossed over to Twatter, Intel finally notices, initial media reports re denial, it's all fake/forgeries 'cause casualty figures(photo-shopped by kid), etc ~Apr4/5/6'23. Someone should do a timeline, custody chain, maybe Melaleuca already did ...
Way too tired, haven't slept, am crashin' bad ... so take with grain of salt, IIRC. I'm Out. Cheers.
Posted by: Outraged@highlander. | Apr 13 2023 17:29 utc | 70
That story reminds me of the 1-ton explosives in a sailboat....
Posted by: PeterM | Apr 13 2023 17:29 utc | 71
Looks as if the second batch of "leaked" information are designed to dilute the first "leaked" batch of "SECRET DOCUMENTS".
I like Larry Johnson's perspective of the the initial set of documents being authenic. This perspective is supported by Alexander Mercouris of the Duran.
Regardless of their accuracy or lack of accuracy, these so called "leaks" will hurt morale of the AFU more than the RF.
Posted by: young | Apr 13 2023 17:30 utc | 72
what is seriously sick:
Western media (as b pointed out) now go crazy about the intense "in-fighting" in Russian High Command as the "leaks" allegedly show.
Whereas when you look into the matter, the - well, overlooked mammoth - is the chaos in the US leadership. It is in every inch of this matter and substance of the US military higher bodies for more than a year.
But THAT doesn´t concern US.
so eventually the real danger of bigger war as result of internal discord lies not with Moscow of course but "our guys".
Great, and the papers are clapping and cheering.
wtf
Posted by: AG | Apr 13 2023 17:41 utc | 74
@b | Apr 13 2023 17:32 utc | 73
I for one find it extremely concerning that the Washington Post and the New York Times worked more intensely on identifying the source of the leaks that the leaked briefing slides. Since when is it their job to find people who endanger the national security state?Since Julian Assange.
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 13 2023 17:45 utc | 75
probably the most important degression since 9/11:
as described in b´s latest paragraph:
"I for one find it extremely concerning that the Washington Post and the New York Times worked more intensely on identifying the source of the leaks that the leaked briefing slides. Since when is it their job to find people who endanger the national security state?"
the same is happening when young reporters try to make a name by discrediting Seymour Hersh.
Or start calling Assange a traitor.
Or stop reporting at. all.
sry but this is a big clusterfuck.
Posted by: AG | Apr 13 2023 17:47 utc | 76
The ideological globalists are losing their hold on the rest of the world, but they sure as hell will inflict their idealistic tyranny upon us in the West. This sort of personality can never admit it's wrong, and it hates itself, so it destroys those who look like itself but do not agree with its fractured self. Not a good time to be alive. Cf. Political Ponerology by Dr. Andrzej Łobaczewski, a student of totalitarianism.
Posted by: kassandra | Apr 13 2023 17:48 utc | 77
Yevgeny Prigozhin comments on the leaks
🇷🇺⚔️🇺🇦💀⚰️PMC's Wagner group has killed 38,000 fighters on Kiev side[AFU soldiers], 32,000 in Soledar, Artemovsk(Bakhmut) and its environs, Prigozhin saidA request from the MASH editorial board and a response:
Hello, Evgeny Viktorovich!
I am writing to you from the MASH editorial office. Recently, leaked Pentagon documents have been "walking" in the news. According to the data indicated in them, the irretrievable losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the SMO(Special Military Operation) are 16-17.5 000 people. Do you think this figure is correct?And could you name an approximate figure of irretrievable losses of Ukrainian formations in the battles for Soledar and Bakhmut, in which the fighters of the Wagner PMCs took part? Thanks.
We publish a comment by Yevgeny Prigozhin:
"Today I was going to a meeting just on the leaked American document, including with representatives of the intelligence of the Wagner PMCs and analysts who are engaged in the United States. We draw the following conclusions: this document is the last "Nanai-American warning". Merged intentionally, in order to ask certain questions. I think that those colleagues who participated in the meeting with me will give a more detailed account of this in the near future.Now about the dead and wounded. We entered the fighting on March 19, 2022. From the first day of hostilities to the present day, our estimate for the enemy destroyed (by the units of the Wagner PMCs) is only 200 cargo[200 means dead], that is, for the killed (irretrievable losses) – 38 000 people. Of which 32 000 people account for Bakhmut, Soledar and the surrounding area during the blocking of Bakhmut."
https://t.me/DDGeopolitics/54820
Posted by: Norwegian | Apr 13 2023 17:52 utc | 78
IMO, the consequential facet of this "leak"/IO drama is alienation between DOS, WH, and CIA on the one hand and
DOD on the other. The intellect and the hands of the nation's officialdom are paralyzed from lack of connectivity. Intentional activity, therefore, is not available to the nation. "Every man to his own way."
The nation has lost not only hegemony, which no nation deserves, but also sovereignty. The USA have available to them now means insufficient for self-preservation. Thus Euro-American officials kick their own people in their teeth. What else do they have to do? Nothing.
In coming days and years, The USA's own natural and primal desire for national sovereignty -- forget hegemony, that is gone, blessedly -- will drive out from the nation the fear of being insufficiently atheistic, tardily "woke" and with it. West Eurasian nations (Europe) just embarked on that path relative to US hegemony, as have Southwest and Southeast Eurasian nations (Middle East, South East Asia).
Posted by: The Rev. David R. Gr | Apr 13 2023 17:57 utc | 79
And this is the face of the "leaker". Next up he'll be identified as the mastermind who blew up NS1&2.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/41734
Posted by: Surferket | Apr 13 2023 18:01 utc | 80
the 2nd link "Russia operatives claimed new ties with UAE" is curious. even tho "Emirati gov dismissed any accusation UAE had deepened ties with Russian intelligence as “categorically false” the article goes on to claim UAE allowing Russia to thwart sanctions and Russia/UAE relationship "deepening", but what's it really about cloaked in "U.S. spies caught Russian intelligence officers boasting"..UAE and Russia working together against US and UK Intel? the US is worried. skip to the base of the article and they (Matthew Lee contributed to report) bring up the Israel.
all of this reminded me of MK Bhadrakumar's US flexes muscle in Persian Gulf, to no avail
Curiously, Netanyahu’s office staked a claim that MbZ called him [israeli press release claimed MbZ called on passover no less]and that the two leaders “agreed to continue the dialogue between them in a personal meeting in the near future.” But The Emirates News Agency, WAM, has since reported that the conversation actually took place at Netanyahu’s initiative and that MbZ said the UAE “would work with Israel, fellow Arab nations, and international partners to avoid regional escalation and advance a path to peace and stability.”The WAM report unmistakably flagged that the UAE’s accent is on regional stability, and, implicitly, that it will not be dragged into any US-Israeli shenanigans to undermine the current processes in regional politics – not only between Saudi Arabia and Iran, but those involving Syria’s return to the Arab League, a ceasefire in Yemen, etc.
The news report failed to mention any commitment by MbZ to meet Netanyahu, who is, of course, all dressed up and raring to go, unwilling to give up yet that Israel has lost the regional plot.
"dragged into any US-Israeli shenanigans" interesting.
Posted by: annie | Apr 13 2023 18:07 utc | 81
A nom de guerre poster elsewhere on the latest top secret document "revelations"--
"So some 21 year old kid compromised the largest and most expensive security network ever created in human history. Yeah, right."
Posted by: Elmagnostic | Apr 13 2023 18:08 utc | 82
I feel bad for the patsy. He will get blamed for the whole “leak” affair for the Leftcult that has taken over American govt and media. He probably had access to papers distributed to routine meetings, which he thought were useless or irrelevant. The Agency gets wind of it, leaks a bunch of other info and disinfo with the original “organic” leak, tips the NYT and away we go.
It puts SK, Egypt, France + others on notice that we are paying attention to any “rules based order” dissension in our world vassals. We keep 800+ military bases outside CONUS merely for “security and stability”, right? The added leaks also spread a lot of garbage to taunt other, weaker countries we want coming to the US sphere of control, like Serbia.
It really is a wicked web of deceit and lies. They know it keeps us busy while they do what they want.
Oh, and good luck trying to explain it all to the average American, reality is well camouflaged.
Posted by: Fudup | Apr 13 2023 18:12 utc | 83
For those who are interested in the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian front from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation A brief summary of events in Ukraine on April 13, 2023
Posted by: Rob | Apr 13 2023 18:12 utc | 84
More weapons of mass distraction, distributed from the same usual suspects, and more lapping it up from chatting classes on cue. yawn.
"Or is all of this a diversion from the Ukrainian loss of Bakhmut?"
---
Partially. There are other factors they could think are helpful about making a bigger deal about this than it is (and seemingly encouraging reporting on it vs black-holing it like they do with stories they don't want out there), but yes distraction is among them - and more time spent on-air or in-ink wasted on this or counter offensives yet to happen, is time and mindshare not spent on loss of Bakhmut.
Posted by: knighthawk | Apr 13 2023 18:13 utc | 85
Unconditional surrender is not "peace talks" so yes, there won't be any.!
Posted by: G wiltek | Apr 13 2023 18:16 utc | 86
Did some catch-up document posting on the Other thread that includes Zakharova's take on the leak she provided at yesterday's briefing. And more Persian Gulf peace developments.
Re b's update. All the ex Bellingcat working for US media. This is moving into five-eyes golden shower territory.
Posted by: Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 18:16 utc | 88
Innocents die while DC lies. America is finished as a Constitutional concept. We're gonna get what's coming to us. I hate what we've done - and are doing - to the other 7 billion people of this World. The jig is up.
Posted by: Drake Schroeder | Apr 13 2023 18:17 utc | 89
b wrote:
(The piece is bylined by Bellingcat's Aric Toler.) There is no explanation where the "additional documents" are coming from or how they were found.
The pro-Ukraine Twitter account @btr_fan21 says he had saved all 109 of the documents posted by Mr. Lucca. He is in communication with Aric Toler, and apparently, other Western MSM journalists.
Bellingcat has all 109 documents.
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Apr 13 2023 18:22 utc | 90
sry if this doesn´t fit the topic today:
a few days back Down South linked a FT article about minor stir over a panel at Bank of America caused by remarks made by historian Nicolai Petro, among others.
The remarks that caused the outrage are here:
(the outrage confirms the level of idiocy among functional elites in the financial and diplomatic sector of the West. It´s depressing)
Posted by: AG | Apr 13 2023 18:29 utc | 92
I read a few days ago that a couple of boys on discord did the leaks. Thier usernames were Nig#€rbrapp and Lucca. Apparently thier friend was trying to prove that he was an intel dude.
https://www.gfilotto.com/this-is-precisely-the-type-of-person-they-have-working-in-the-deep-state#comments
Posted by: Wazdaka | Apr 13 2023 18:31 utc | 93
"Since when is it their job to find people who endanger the national security state?"
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Both do it all the time to anyone that goes against their desired or the instructed narratives (a national security threat of course to them ). Didn't the NYCrimes create a whole website to doxing NY state gun permit owners,etc? Remember investigating and doxing is only ok when they do it, never when anyone else does it. Anyway, this whole thing has smelled sour since jumpstreet, most of all that it's getting far more coverage than it would normally get (even without any suppression attempt), and far more than the content (at least 4-5 doc's/pics) deserves, even if it mattered, which it doesn't imho.
Posted by: knighthawk | Apr 13 2023 18:32 utc | 94
Posted by: Wazdaka | Apr 13 2023 18:31 utc | 93
------------
We've long since been thrust through the Looking Glass.
Lewis Carroll and George Orwell would have said - looking at this charade of evil and deceit - "I never thought it would actually come to THIS."
Up is down, down is up and men are women and women are men. Learn to embrace the stupidity ... or else!
I have a Biblical foundation in my life and to me? Satan's having a field day. There's a encompassing evil - a ROT - in this World and I know where it eminates. And, I have a deep sense of shame for what I've allowed to happen to the world I'm leaving to my children and grandkids.
Posted by: Drake Schroeder | Apr 13 2023 18:44 utc | 95
You have covered all the sus aspects I am wondering about b.
@ Peter AU1 | Apr 13 2023 14:50 utc | 5
Reading this too quickly the first time, I thought you were "wondering about b" -- remember the speculation about b's too-brief break a little bit ago? Thank goodness we can admit to ourselves how over-the-top much of that was.
Nobody's perfect, but b has built up some sturdy, honest props with some of us. I can relax and refrain from wondering about b (not very much, anyways)!
I have to say b's reading of this leakgate is reasonable, thorough, and helpful -- as usual, really. But sanity so grounded is quite scarce, these days.
Posted by: Aleph_Null | Apr 13 2023 18:45 utc | 96
"I feel bad for the patsy. He will get blamed for the whole “leak” affair for the Leftcult that has taken over American govt and media. He probably had access to papers distributed to routine meetings, which he thought were useless or irrelevant. The Agency gets wind of it, leaks a bunch of other info and disinfo with the original “organic” leak, tips the NYT and away we go. "
-
Posted by: Fudup | Apr 13 2023 18:12 utc | 83
---
Probably more accurate than you know. :)
Posted by: knighthawk | Apr 13 2023 18:46 utc | 97
All these "leaks" are is excrement thrown in the water to muddy it up. And LoL the NY Lies and LyingCat leading the charge on this.
I would not even wipe my behind with these "documents"
Its most likely a distractionary tactic to distract from the Hersch Articles and take some of his authority away.
The BIG topic is Nordstream terrorist attack perpetrated by the US white house.
Everything else is smoke
Posted by: Comandante | Apr 13 2023 18:46 utc | 98
They way they are crumpled up it looks like they were taken out of the garbage ready for the burn bag. Probably where they belonged, in the garbage. All intelligence work is not accepted as it goes through multiple levels of reviews.
Posted by: circumspect | Apr 13 2023 18:48 utc | 99
Wazdaka @ 93
So a keen young patriotic dude. He's made a mess of his career though. If he hadn't been showing off to his buddies he might have been a 4 star general ne day.
Posted by: dh | Apr 13 2023 18:48 utc | 100
The comments to this entry are closed.
Meanwhile - Powers that Be getting worried about Financial isolation. Two articles on Bloomberg today ( not worth linking )
1) What is De-Dollarization ? (Explaining how it can never happen)
2) US-Saudi Oil Pact Breaking Down as Russia Grabs Upper Hand; An empowered OPEC+ led by Saudi Arabia and Moscow is calling the shots on oil prices, boosting inflation and raising recession risks
Posted by: Exile | Apr 13 2023 14:46 utc | 1