It has been revealed that a pro-Russian social media account that played a crucial role in the spread of classified documents leaked by Jack Teixeira (21), a private in the U.S. Air National Guard, was operated by a former U.S. Navy sergeant. When Teixeira leaked confidential documents to the private chat room of the game chat platform ‘Discord’, only a few could see them, but as another former US military intervened and the documents were revealed to be spread, distrust in the US confidential information protection system will grow. Prospect.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 16th (local time) that the pro-Russian telegram channel ‘Donbas Devushka’, which spread some of the leaked documents on social media for the first time, was run by former US Navy sergeant Sarah Beals (37). Reported. Donbass Devushka means Donbass lady. This channel has been pro-Russian activities since the war in Ukraine, including fundraising for pro-Russian forces in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, and has about 65,000 subscribers.
According to reports, on the 5th, among the documents leaked by Teixeira, four documents containing Russian casualties were uploaded to this channel. Afterwards, other pro-Russian social media channels began to spread the document in large numbers, and the next day, the 6th, the US Department of Defense was the first to catch the leak of classified documents and it was reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was asked to investigate.
The WSJ said, “Some of the documents transferred to the Donbas Devushka channel have been changed compared to what PFC Teixeira originally posted on the Discord chat room, such as inflating Ukrainian losses and reducing Russian casualties.” Because of this, when the leaked documents were first reported, rumors of pro-Russian involvement were raised.
Bills, the operator of this telegram channel, worked as a first class sergeant in charge of avionics at the US Naval Air Corps in Whidbey Island, Washington, and was honorably discharged last November as a sergeant who was demoted to two ranks. The WSJ, citing his colleagues, said Bills had confidential access.
Meanwhile, according to a classified document from the US Joint Chiefs of Staff reported by the Washington Post (WP) on the same day, Russian authorities said, “Only 1% of fake accounts operated for information warfare on Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok have been detected.” It is said that it was reported internally.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.