Ukraine alters counter-offensive plans after document leak - report

US officials are trying to find the source of a leak of classified documents detailing a wide array of topics from Ukraine's air defenses to Israel's Mossad spy agency.

 Ukrainian servicemen train to shoot a machine gun from M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) during a training session, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Donbas region, Ukraine April 8, 2023. (photo credit: Yan Dorbronosov/Reuters)
Ukrainian servicemen train to shoot a machine gun from M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) during a training session, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Donbas region, Ukraine April 8, 2023.
(photo credit: Yan Dorbronosov/Reuters)

Ukraine has been forced to amend some of its military plans ahead of a much-vaunted counter-offensive due to a leak of classified US documents, CNN reported on Monday citing a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukrainian officials told Reuters on Friday the allegedly leaked documents contained fictitious information and looked like a Russian disinformation campaign.

US officials are trying to find the source of a leak of classified documents detailing a wide array of topics from Ukraine's air defenses to Israel's Mossad spy agency.

Reuters has not independently verified the documents' authenticity.

Have Ukraine's strategic plans changed?

Asked about the CNN report, presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Ukraine's strategic plans remained unchanged but that more specific tactical plans were always subject to change.

 Ukrainian serviceman reacts as he throws a grenade during a training, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Donbas region, Ukraine April 8, 2023.  (credit: Yan Dorbronosov/Reuters)
Ukrainian serviceman reacts as he throws a grenade during a training, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Donbas region, Ukraine April 8, 2023. (credit: Yan Dorbronosov/Reuters)

"There are strategic tasks - they are unchangeable," he told Reuters.

"But operational and tactical scenarios are constantly refined, based on an assessment of the situation on the battlefield, resource provision, intelligence data on the enemy's resources, etc." he said.

"Right now its impossible to reassess plans, because they are only being worked out (now)," he added.

"We are working on our own plans... The opinion of people who have nothing to do with this do not interest us...The circle of people who possess information is extremely restricted."

Oleksiy Danilov

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, told Reuters: "We are working on our own plans... The opinion of people who have nothing to do with this do not interest us...The circle of people who possess information is extremely restricted."

Some experts have said the source of the leak could be American.


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"The focus now is on this being a US leak, as many of the documents were only in US hands," Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, told Reuters in an interview.