The US Department of Defense has made a formal reference to the Justice Department after planning documents related to the war in Ukraine were leaked online.
Military documents appeared on social media containing sensitive information about US and NATO material that supported the Ukrainian army in their fight against Russian forces.
“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the Department is reviewing the matter,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Friday morning.
On Friday night, Singh said the DOD made a reference to the DOJ regarding the leak.
UKRAINE WAR PLANNING DOCUMENTS LEAKED ONLINE, PENTAGON INVESTIGATE
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Department of Defense, is the largest office building in the world by floor space. (STAFF/AFP via Getty Images, File)
“The Ministry of Defense is actively looking into the matter and has made a formal referral to the Ministry of Justice for investigation,” Singh said.
The Washington Post reported Friday night that the DOJ has opened an investigation into the leak of classified DOD documents.
The DOJ did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
UKRAINE PREPARES FOR RUSSIAN SPRING OFFENSIVE
Ukrainian soldiers of the Aidar Battalion train at an undetermined location in Donetsk Oblast, April 4, 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Analysts argue that the documents appear to have been slightly manipulated and exaggerate Ukrainian casualties while downplaying losses from Russian forces.
Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, quickly dismissed the leak as part of Russia’s disinformation games.
“The published data relates exclusively to the information and operational game that the Russians have started to sow confusion, seize the initiative and discredit the idea of offensive. It is clear,” Podolyak said.
“Firstly, by accessing real plans, you will not admit it publicly. To prepare secret counter activities. And therefore, secondly, it is possible to organize a ‘drain’ of fictitious data only in the under a special information counter game,” he added.
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A Ukrainian soldier takes part in a military exercise on psychological combat training at a secret location close to the border with Belarus, in Ukraine, March 11, 2023. (Reuters/Violeta Santos Moura)
The leaked documents appear to be more than a month old, dated March 1.
Timothy HJ Nerozzi, Caitlin McFall and Constance McDonough of Fox News contributed to this report.
Jennifer Griffin currently serves as the national security correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC) and works out of the Washington DC bureau. She joined the network in October 1999 as a Jerusalem correspondent.
