New 27-page cache of leaked US intelligence documents reveals more details on Russia

A new leak of documents has revealed the scale of infighting inside Moscow’s government agencies is greater than previously understood.

The documents, separate from the leak of highly classified US intelligence widely reported on in recent days, claim that the Russian government is feuding over the numbers of casualties its armies have suffered fighting in Ukraine.

The new batch of 27 pages also reveal how Vladimir Putin was forced to hold a peace summit between two of his most high-profile Warlords – and how deeply US spy agencies have penetrated the despot’s intelligence network and command.

It also suggests that the earlier breach of American intelligence agencies could contain even more material than has already been released to the public.

The revelation comes as a report on Wednesday claimed to have identified the person behind the 53-page leak of classified Pentagon documents as a gun enthusiast in his 20s who worked on a military base.

The documents, separate from the leak of 53-page of alleged highly classified US intelligence widely reported on in recent days, claim that the Russian government is feuding over the numbers of casualties its armies have suffered fighting in Ukraine. Pictured: Ukrainian service members ride in a tank near the besieged city of Bakhmut, April 10

The as-of-yet unnamed person shared classified information to a group on the instant messaging platform Discord of about two dozen men and young boys who shared a ‘mutual love of guns, military gear and God,’ the Washington Post said.

In what appears to be the gravest leak of US secrets in years, pictures of sensitive documents were posed on the platform as well as others including the online messaging board 4Chan, the Telegram global messaging app, and Twitter.

A national security investigation has been launched amid concerns over what impact the information revealed could have in Ukraine.

Now, according to the New York Times which has seen the new 27 documents, Russia’s domestic intelligence agency has accused the Russian armed forces of obscuring the true scale of casualties suffered at the hands of Ukraine’s defenders.

It said the report appears to be based on electronic intercepts. 

One document dated Feb. 28 shows that American intelligence officials have said Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, has ‘accused’ Russia’s Defense Ministry ‘of obfuscating Russian casualties in Ukraine,’ the New York Times reports.

The officials say that this highlights ‘the continuing reluctance of military officials to convey bad news up the chain of command’ – appearing to confirm previous reports that many in Moscow are too afraid to give Putin the full picture of his faltering war effort, which began when he ordered the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Officials at the FSB, the document says, argue that the Defence Ministry’s toll does not include the dead and wounded among the Russian National Guard, the Wagner Private Military Company, or fighters sent by Chechnyan warlord Ramzan Kadyrov.

The New York Times cites the document as saying the FSB calculates Russia’s dead and wounded in Ukraine as being ‘closer to 110,000’ – far higher than Moscow’s official figure of 5,937. It does not specify the ministry’s own internal estimate.

Previous estimates have said Russia’s casualty numbers are even higher than the figure attributed to the FSB in the documents. US officials have said Russian losses could be as high as 200,000, while one of last week’s leaked documents reports Russians have suffered between 189,500 to 223,000 casualties as of February.

Of those, it says, 43,000 were killed in action – compared to 17,500 Ukrainians.

Another of the newly leaked documents gives new details on the dispute between Yevgeny Prigozhin – leader of Wagner PMC, and Russia’s Defence Ministry.

Prigozhin, whose public persona has grown as his forces have become more involved in the war in Ukraine, accused Russian military officials of withholding ammunition from his mercenaries as they fought to seize the city of Bakhmut.

One of the documents reports Putin invited Prigozhin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to a meeting in Moscow on February 22 in an attempt to settle the dispute, according to the New York Times.

‘The meeting almost certainly concerned, at least in part, Prigozhin’s public accusations and resulting tension with Shoygu,’ the American publication quotes the document at saying.

The New York Times said the new documents were shared in the form of photographs, and showed that some are missing pages.

It said they came from the United Sates National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon’s Joint Staff intelligence directorate – and had also been posted to the Discord platform.

The publication said that the documents did not appear to contain much information from human sources. This, it said, suggests the original source of the new leak may not have had access to more classified material.

But combined with the leak from last week, the documents highlight many of the reasons why Putin’s almost 14-month invasion of Ukraine has so far failed to achieve any of its original objectives – or many of its amended ones.

One of the newly leaked documents gives new details on the dispute between Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) – leader of Wagner PMC, and Russia’s Defence Ministry

Ukrainian servicemen drive towards the frontline of Bakhmut and Chasiv Yar, during heavy fighting, near Chasiv Yar, Ukraine, April 11

Days since the original leaks were first picked up, there have continued to be significant revelations, particularly pertaining to the war in Ukraine and Russia.

One such revelation is that the Pentagon had reportedly outlined four ‘wild card’ scenarios that could be brought about by the war.

These included the deaths of Putin and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the ‘the removal of leadership within the Russian Armed Forces and a Ukrainian strike on the Kremlin.’

It was not clear from the documents what the US would do if Putin were to be killed, thought it shows there is serious concern over a possible Ukrainian strike on the Kremlin itself – which could lead to a full-scale escalation including nuclear war. 

The leaked documents also contain a rumour that Putin’s top general is conspiring to ‘throw’ his on-going war in Ukraine while Putin is getting chemotherapy.

The claim suggests that Russian National Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev and Russian Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov are planning to sabotage the war while he is being treated for cancer.

Pictures of this part of the documents have been shared online. It says that the plot is ‘presumably in an attempt to sabotage Russian President Vladimir Putin’.

It says the intelligence came from an ‘unidentified Russian source’. 

Rumours have been circling for years that the Russian despot is suffering from ill health, but nothing has ever been verified. 

The documents also suggest that the US believes UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is too willing to accommodate Russian interests.

They show that US intelligence has been closely monitoring Guterres, and detail private communication between him and his deputy.

Specifically concerning the Black Sea Grain deal brokers by the UN and Turkey in July to allow exports of Ukrainian grain amid fears of a global food crisis, the documents suggest Guterres was willing to accommodate Russia’s interests in order to preserve the deal.

‘Guterres emphasised his efforts to improve Russia’s ability to export,’ the document says, ‘even if that involves sanctioned Russian entities or individuals.’ 

The new leak of 27 pages come as the manhunt for the person behind the first leak of 53 pages continues.

Overnight, it was reported that they were a 20-something video game and gun enthusiast who worked at a secure military site, according to a report, and shared the files in a chat room with a group of around 20 like-minded young people. 

Two members of the chat room, known as ‘Thug Shaker Central’, described to The Washington Post the person who had shared the documents.

‘He’s fit. He’s strong. He’s armed. He’s trained. Just about everything you can expect out of some sort of crazy movie,’ one of the members said.

One of the leaked documents, which have been posted online – sparking a FBI hunt for the leaker, and a Pentagon investigation

This document appears to show the state of Ukraine’s air defenses in February and in May, when it is anticipated they’ll be badly depleted

Ukraine’s air defenses could be depleted within weeks – making the country vulnerable to Russia President Vladimir Putin’s fighter jets, newly leaked Pentagon documents suggests

Images circulating online reveal clues that point to the leaker’s identity. This picture shows an English-language instruction manual for a hunting scope in the background

He described him as ‘a young, charismatic man who loves nature, God, shooting guns and racing cars.’ 

Amid an intense search for the source of the leaks, The Washington Post reported they had seen video and photos of the man, as well as recordings of his interactions with members of the group.

In a video seen by The Post, the man is seen at a shooting range with a large rifle, wearing safety glasses and ear coverings. The man looks into the camera and yells racial and antisemitic insults, then fires multiple rounds at a target.

The leaks – which began six to eight months ago and stopped in mid March, and were first reported by The New York Times on April 6 – have sparked a manhunt across multiple U.S. agencies.

The two chat room members told The Washington Post they expected the leaker to be caught, but denied he was an Edward Snowden-type whistleblower.

Instead, they said, he was sharing the documents with his group of friends, believing they may find them interesting, and ‘wanting us to be super soldiers’.

‘If you had classified documents, you’d want to flex at least a little bit, like hey, I’m the big guy,’ the member said.

‘There is a little bit of showing off to friends, but as well as wanting to keep us informed.’

The documents included analyses of Ukraine’s military campaign; revelations that the U.S. spied on the leaders of Ukraine and South Korea, among others; and insight from within Russia’s military intelligence agency. Other documents showed U.S. concern about Egypt potentially supplying Russia with weapons, and detailed U.S. efforts to spy on Iran’s secret weapons programs. They also discussed nuclear weapons.

‘If your tax dollars are funding these atrocities, then we should be able to know about it,’ the member said.

The two members of ‘Thug Shaker Central’ referred to the leaker as ‘OG’ – slang for Original Gangster. Both said they know his real name, and in which state he lives and works, but refused to say.