The documents offer an unvarnished look at high-level U.S. assessments of the war in Ukraine, including tactical information about Ukrainian forces ahead of an expected spring offensive. But the impact will be felt beyond the battlefield, with some documents detailing apparent U.S. intelligence-gathering targeting allies, including South Korea and Israel.
Much about the leak remains unclear. Some documents were shared on Discord, before appearing on Telegram and Twitter, yet their original source is not certain. Some of the initial documents that spread widely appear to have been doctored to show a more positive outlook for Russia in Ukraine. Many others appear to be unaltered.
It is not known how many documents were leaked in total, let alone who leaked them or why. While the scale of the breach appears smaller than some other recent leaks of classified U.S. material, the sensitive subject matter and relative recency are major worries for U.S. officials.
