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Медуза в курсе: Какую роль во вторжении в Украину играл «военкор» Владлен Татарский? И насколько «военкоры» важны для системы российской пропаганды?

Michael Novakhov’s favorite articles on Inoreader

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2 апреля в Петербурге в кафе Street Food Bar № 1, которое принадлежало основателю ЧВК Вагнера Евгению Пригожину, во время «творческого вечера» «военкора» Владлена Татарского произошел взрыв. В результате Татарский погиб, еще 32 человека получили ранения.

По версии следствия, взрывное устройство было заложено в гипсовую статуэтку, которую принесла в подарок «военкору» одна из посетительниц. В убийстве блогера подозревают жительницу Петербурга Дарью Трепову.

В Национальном антитеррористическом комитете РФ заявляют, что убийство Татарского было спланировано украинскими спецслужбами с «привлечением агентуры» из Фонда борьбы с коррупцией Алексея Навального.

Власти Украины не признают причастность своих спецслужб к убийству Владлена Татарского и связывают его с «внутренней политической борьбой» в России. В ФБК полагают, что блогера могли устранить представители ФСБ России.

Рассказываем, как устроена система «военкорских» телеграм-каналов, и оцениваем, насколько влиятельны и популярны их авторы спустя год с лишним после начала полномасштабной войны в Украине. Наши сегодняшние собеседники — специальный корреспондент The Bell Ирина Панкратова и военный аналитик Кирилл Михайлов.

NPR News: 04-08-2023 12PM ET

NPR News: 04-08-2023 12PM ET

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Офис генпрокурора Украины расследует 171 случай сексуализированного насилия со стороны российских военных. Об этом сообщила жена украинского президента Елена Зеленская.

По ее словам, среди жертв насилия в том числе есть мужчины и дети. Она также подчеркнула, что власти могут не знать о других случаях, поскольку не все жертвы готовы или могут рассказать о пережитом травматичном опыте.

В ООН, где собирают данные о военных преступлениях России в Украине, сообщают, что возраст пострадавших от сексуализированного насилия со стороны российских военных варьируется от четырех до 82 лет.

Из данных офиса генпрокурора Украины следует, что на январь 2023 года больше всего случаев сексуализированного насилия было выявлено в Херсонской и Киевской областях.

Рассказываем, как в Украине расследуют случаи сексуализированного насилия и как помогают людям, которые с ним столкнулись. Гостья этого выпуска — журналистка «Настоящего времени» Кристина Закурдаева (здесь можно почитать ее текст на тему сексуализированного насилия).

The post Украина расследует 171 случай сексуализированного насилия, совершенного российскими военными, и называет это «еще одним оружием в арсенале» РФ против украинцев. Так и есть? first appeared on The News And Times – thenewsandtimes.com.

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В деловом районе Москва-Сити работают криптовалютные обменники для анонимного перевода денег за границу, в том числе в Великобританию, выяснили в Международной организации по борьбе с коррупцией Transparency International.

Обычно клиенты таких обменников переводят криптовалюту на номера криптокошельков, после чего курьеры привозят наличные фунты стерлингов в определенное место в Лондоне в тот же или на следующий день.

В среднем, по данным правозащитников, в месяц через такие обменники проходит от 420 до 470 тысяч долларов. Они отмечают, что анонимный обмен криптовалюты на наличные противоречит британским законам.

В Transparency полагают, что подобная финансовая схема несет коррупционные риски и может быть доступна для высокопоставленных чиновников, стремящихся уйти от санкций и антикоррупционного законодательства.

Рассказываем, как криптовалюта, которая до сих пор находится в России в серой зоне, стала инструментом коррупции. Гость этого выпуска — Илья Шуманов, бывший директор недавно ликвидированной «Трансперенси Интернешнл — Россия» и автор телеграм-канала о борьбе с коррупцией Shumanov.

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4 апреля Финляндия вступает в НАТО. Заявку на присоединение к альянсу страна подала в мае 2022 года — вскоре после того, как Россия начала полномасштабное вторжение в Украину.

До последнего времени Финляндия сотрудничала с НАТО, но при этом сохраняла нейтралитет. До войны в Украине идея полноценной интеграции в Североатлантический блок не пользовалась значительной поддержкой у финнов.

Вместе с Финляндией вступить в НАТО также рассчитывала Швеция, однако одобрение ее заявки задерживается из-за возражений Турции.

Вступление Финляндии в Североатлантический альянс увеличивает общую границу стран НАТО с Россией с нынешних 1215 километров более чем вдвое.

Рассказываем, как меняется НАТО из-за войны в Украине — и что эти изменения значат для России. Объясняет Павел Лузин, политолог и эксперт в области международной безопасности.

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5 апреля уполномоченная по правам ребенка при президенте РФ Мария Львова-Белова рассказала в пресс-центре МИД России о своем опыте «усыновления» ребенка, вывезенного с территории Украины после полномасштабного российского вторжения.

По словам чиновницы, их совместную жизнь с 16-летним Филиппом из Мариуполя нельзя назвать «гладкой». «Тяжело реагировать, когда твой ребенок бегает за младшими детьми и говорит: „Съем москаленка“», — заявила Львова-Белова, связав поведение подростка с «антироссийской пропагандой» в Украине. Филиппа вывезли в Россию в мае 2022 года вместе с еще 30 детьми из Мариуполя.

В тот же день, 5 апреля, Мария Львова-Белова должна была рассказать об «эвакуации» украинских детей в Россию в Совете Безопасности ООН. Трансляцию ее выступления заблокировала Великобритания, заявив, что чиновница «может рассказать о своих действиях в Гааге».

В марте 2023 года Международный уголовный суд выдал ордер на арест Марии Львовой-Беловой и Владимира Путина из-за депортации украинских детей с оккупированных территорий в Россию.

Рассказываем о жизненном и карьерном пути Марии Львовой-Беловой. И о том, как чиновница стала олицетворением депортации детей с оккупированных территорий Украины в Россию. На вопросы Владислава Горина отвечают журналистки Анна Рыжкова (издание «Верстка»), а также Соня Гройсман и Нигина Бероева (телеканал «Дождь»)

Ссылки к выпуску:

  • Текст «Верстки» о Марии Львовой-Беловой
  • Репортаж телеканала «Дождь» о том, как Россия вывозит детей из Украины

Selected Articles – The News And Times

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Classified documents detailing secret American and NATO plans have appeared on Twitter and Telegram.

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Two soldiers, one in an army tank with the Ukrainian flag and another outside pointing to the left of the frame.

The leaked documents do not provide specific battle plans but they offer a snapshot of time — the American and Ukrainian view, as of March 1, of what Ukrainian troops might need for the campaign.Credit…Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Classified war documents detailing secret American and NATO plans for building up the Ukrainian military ahead of a planned offensive against Russia were posted this week on social media channels, senior Biden administration officials said.

The Pentagon is investigating who may have been behind the leak of the documents, which appeared on Twitter and on Telegram, a platform with more than half a billion users that is widely available in Russia.

Military analysts said the documents appear to have been modified in certain parts from their original format, overstating American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and understating estimates of Russian troops killed.

The modifications could point to an effort of disinformation by Moscow, the analysts said. But the disclosures in the original documents, which appear as photographs of charts of anticipated weapons deliveries, troop and battalion strengths, and other plans, represents a significant breach of American intelligence in the effort to aid Ukraine.

Biden officials were working to get them deleted but had not, as of Thursday evening, succeeded.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon.

The documents do not provide specific battle plans, like how, when, and where Ukraine intends to launch its offensive, which American officials say is likely coming in the next month or so. And because the documents are five weeks old, they offer a snapshot of time — the American and Ukrainian view, as of March 1, of what Ukrainian troops might need for the campaign.

To the trained eye of a Russian war planner, field general or intelligence analyst, however, the documents no doubt offer many tantalizing clues and insights. The documents mention, for instance, the expenditure rate of HIMARS — American-supplied high mobility artillery rocket systems, which can launch attacks against targets like ammunition dumps, infrastructure and concentrations of troops, from a distance. The Pentagon has not said publicly how fast Ukrainian troops are using the HIMARS munitions; the documents do.

  • China Under the Spotlight: Beijing’s role in pressing Russia to end the war in Ukraine was expected to be a main topic of discussion during a three-day trip to China by Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
  • Zelensky in Poland: On his first official visit to Poland, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine won strong backing from Polish leaders for his country’s rapid entry into NATO and signed a deal paving the way for the joint production of arms and ammunition.
  • Finland’s Entry to NATO: The Nordic country officially became the military alliance’s 31st member, in what amounts to a strategic defeat for President Vladimir Putin of Russia.
  • Drone Warfare: Using aerial drones to spot the enemy and direct artillery fire has become a staple of war for Ukraine and Russia, especially in the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut.

Analysts said on Friday it could be difficult to assess the impact of the documents’ disclosure on the frontline fighting now and in the coming months. Russia’s own recent offensive has struggled to make gains in eastern Ukraine, and Western analysts debate whether the Russian military, after suffering staggering casualties, is capable of mounting another or resisting a Ukrainian attack.

It was unclear how the documents ended up on social media. But pro-Russian government channels have been sharing and circulating the briefing slides, military analysts said.

The analysts warned that documents released by Russian sources could be selectively altered to present the Kremlin’s disinformation.

“Whether these documents are authentic or not, people should take care with anything released by Russian sources,” said Michael Kofman, the director of Russian studies at CNA, a research institute in Arlington, Va.

For example, one of the slides said 16,000 to 17,500 Russian soldiers had been killed while Ukraine had suffered as many as 71,500 troop deaths. The Pentagon and other analysts have estimated that Russia has suffered far more casualties, with closer to 200,000 killed and injured, while Ukraine has had more than 100,000 killed and injured.

Nonetheless, analysts said parts of the documents appeared authentic and would provide Russia with valuable information such as the timetables for the delivery of weapons and troops, Ukrainian troop buildup numbers and other military details.

A document labeled “top secret” offers the “Status of the Conflict as of 1 Mar.” On that day, Ukrainian officials were at an American base in Weisbaden, Germany, for war game sessions, and a day later, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the supreme allied commander for Europe, visited the sessions.

Another document includes columns that list Ukrainian troop units, equipment and training, with schedules for January through April. The document contains a summary of 12 combat brigades that are being assembled, with nine of them apparently being trained and supplied by the United States and other NATO allies. Of those nine brigades, the documents said that six would be ready by March 31 and the rest by April 30. A Ukrainian brigade has about 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers, analysts said.

The document said that equipment delivery times would impact training and readiness in order to meet the timeline. Total equipment needed for nine brigades, the document said, was more than 250 tanks and more than 350 mechanized vehicles.

That the documents could be posted on a widely dispersed social media channel, and presumably get into the hands of Russian officials, is a big coup for Moscow at a time when Russia had appeared to be trailing the United States in intelligence gathering in Ukraine.

The leak is the first Russian intelligence breakthrough that has been made public since the war began. Throughout the war, the United States has provided Ukraine with information on command posts, ammunition depots and other key nodes in the Russian military lines. Such real-time intelligence has allowed the Ukrainians to target Russian forces, kill senior generals and force ammunition supplies to be moved farther from the Russian front lines, though U.S. officials say Ukraine has played the decisive role in planning and execution of those strikes.

But early on during the war, Ukrainian officials were hesitant about sharing their battle plans with the United States, for fear of leaks, American and European officials said. As recently as last summer, American intelligence officials said they often had a better understanding of Russia’s military plans than of Ukraine’s.

Concerned that sharing their operation plans could also highlight weaknesses and discourage continued American support, the Ukrainians were closely guarding them even as American intelligence was gathering precise details on what the Kremlin was ordering and Russian commanders were planning.

The intelligence sharing between Ukraine and the United States loosened up considerably last fall, and the two countries have been working closely on options for a Ukrainian offensive.

But an intelligence leak of this sort, posted on social media and available around the world, is bound to harm intelligence sharing between Ukraine and the United States.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff contributed reporting.

 

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The Pentagon is investigating a reported security breach that saw classified war documents detailing secret American and Nato plans for supplying aid to Ukraine before its prospective offensive against Russia leaked to social media platforms, the New York Times reported.

The top secret documents were spread on Twitter and Telegram, and reportedly contain charts and details about anticipated weapons deliveries, battalion strengths and other sensitive information, the NYT said. According to military analysts, the papers appear to have been altered in certain parts from their original format, overstating American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and understating estimates of Russian troops killed, citing how the modifications could point to an effort of disinformation by Moscow.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, as officials were working to get them deleted but had not yet succeeded.

The NYT said the documents, which are five weeks old with at least one carrying a “top secret” label, do not contain details of when, how, or where Ukraine intends to launch its counteroffensive.

However, according to analysts, the leak represents a “significant breach of American intelligence in the effort to aid Ukraine”.

One of the documents, which circulated on pro-Russian government channels, summarised the training schedules of 12 Ukrainian combat brigades, and said nine of them were being trained by US and Nato forces, and needed 250 tanks and more than 350 mechanised vehicles, the newspaper said.

The classified papers also contain details on expenditure rates for munitions under Ukrainian military control, including for the Himars rocket systems, the US-made artillery rocket systems that have proved highly effective against Russian forces.

In a separate development on Friday, Russia appeared to have made important gains in Bakhmut, one of the bloodiest battles of the year-long war, with outgunned Ukrainian troops holding out despite Moscow’s numerical superiority.

The UK Ministry of Defence said in its daily update that Russian forces had “highly likely advanced into the [Bakhmut] town centre, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened.”

It added: “There is realistic possibility that, locally, Wagner and Russian MoD commanders have paused their ongoing feud and improved cooperation.”

The battle for Bakhmut has raged for seven months, with thousands of people killed and hundreds of buildings collapsed or charred. The few remaining civilians have been confined to basements for months with no running water, electricity or gas.

In spite of the rumours earlier this year of a retreat of his troops from the area, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he had instructed the army to find forces to bolster the defence of the embattled city.

The eastern military command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters that Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and that Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it.

“The situation is difficult, the enemy is concentrating maximum efforts to capture Bakhmut. However, it is suffering serious losses and not reaching strategic success,” Cherevatyi said.

“All decisions are taken with the aim of not allowing the enemy to break through our defence, to inflict maximum damage to it and preserve personnel.

“Having tactical success in some places, the enemy pays an exorbitant price for it and loses combat potential every day.”

Reuters contributed to this report

 

Classified papers said to contain details about military aid and battalion strengths ahead of potential Ukrainian counteroffensive

The Pentagon is investigating a reported security breach that saw classified war documents detailing secret American and Nato plans for supplying aid to Ukraine before its prospective offensive against Russia leaked to social media platforms, the New York Times reported.

The top secret documents were spread on Twitter and Telegram, and reportedly contain charts and details about anticipated weapons deliveries, battalion strengths and other sensitive information, the NYT said. According to military analysts, the papers appear to have been altered in certain parts from their original format, overstating American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and understating estimates of Russian troops killed, citing how the modifications could point to an effort of disinformation by Moscow.

Continue reading…

 

Wagner Boss Tells Fighters Everything OK at Cemetary

posted at 10:59:35 UTC by Kyiv Post via KyivPost

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In a video posted to Twitter, with a backdrop of thousands of graves, the leader of Russia’s main Bakhmut mercenary forces tells his men that death is part of life.

 
The News And Times Information Network – Blogs By Michael Novakhov – thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com

The post Russia bombards illegally annexed Ukraine areas from ground, air – PBS NewsHour first appeared on The Russia And Ukraine News – The News And Times.

The post US sanction officials plan missions to clamp down on Russia – The Associated Press first appeared on The Russia And Ukraine News – The News And Times.

Evan Gershkovich: Russia charges US journalist with spying – reports – BBC News bbc.com/news/world-europe-65…

The post Evan Gershkovich: Russia charges US journalist with spying – reports – BBC News bbc.com/news/world-europe-65… first appeared on The Russia And Ukraine News – The News And Times.

Everything We Know About The Ukraine War Leaks

The Pentagon said it is investigating what appears to be classified war documents that circulated on social media.

The post Everything We Know About The Ukraine War Leaks first appeared on The Russia And Ukraine News – The News And Times.

Selected Articles Review at 11 a.m. – Schumer and McConnell condemn Russia’s detention of reporter Evan Gershkovich thenewsandtimes.blogspot.com… biztoc.com/x/03921443ea61072…

The post

first appeared on The Brooklyn Radio – The News And Times.

Adele – Skyfall (Official Lyric Video)

Adele’s official lyric video for her single ‘Skyfall’.

As featured in the film ‘Skyfall’. Click to buy/listen: http://smarturl.it/AdeleSkyfall

Follow Adele
Website: http://adele.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adele
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Adele
Instagram: http://instagram.com/Adele

———
Lyrics
Let the sky fall
When it crumbles
We will stand tall
Face it all together
At skyfall
At skyfall

Skyfall is where we start
A thousand miles and poles apart
Where worlds collide and days are dark
You may have my number, you can take my name
But you’ll never have my heart

МОСКВА, 7 апр — ПРАЙМ. На яхте “Андромеда” нашли следы взрывчатки, передает New York Times, ссылаясь на анонимные официальные источники в Германии. Судно считают причастным к атакам на газопроводы “Северного потока”. Помимо этого, стало известно, что два члена экипажа использовали фальшивые болгарские паспорта. По данным газеты, новые улики были обнаружили немецкими следователями. Информацию подтвердили три собеседника издания из официальных кругов Германии. […]

The post

first appeared on The Russia News Review – The News And Times.

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The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the leaks of a trove of apparent US intelligence documents that were posted on social media in recent weeks.

The investigation comes as new documents surfaced Friday covering everything from US support for Ukraine to information about key US allies like Israel, widening the fallout from an already alarming leak. The Pentagon on Thursday said it was looking into the matter after social media posts of apparently classified documents on the war in Ukraine had emerged.

The additional leaked documents that surfaced Friday appeared to contain classified information on topics ranging from the mercenary Wagner Group’s operations in Africa and Israel’s pathways to providing lethal aid to Ukraine, to intelligence about the United Arab Emirates’ ties to Russia and South Korean concerns about providing ammunition to the US for use in Ukraine.

It is unclear who is behind the leaks and where, exactly, they originated.

“The Department of Defense is actively reviewing the matter, and has made a formal referral to the Department of Justice for investigation,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Friday.

A Justice Department spokesperson told CNN that the department has “been in communication with the Department of Defense related to this matter and have begun an investigation,” declining to comment further.

Some of documents reference classified information from the CIA. A CIA spokesperson told CNN Friday, “We are aware of the social media posts and are looking into the claims.”

Images of some of the documents – which include estimates of Russian casualties and a list of Western weapons systems available to Ukraine – were posted to the social media platform Discord in early March, according to screenshots of the posts reviewed by CNN.

“This sh*t was sitting in a Minecraft Discord server for a month and no one noticed,” Aric Toler, a researcher at investigative outlet Bellingcat who traced the timeline of the posted documents, told CNN. Minecraft is a popular video game.

It wasn’t until this week that the leaked documents started to gain more attention after someone posted a portion of the documents to 4chan, a web forum popular with extremists, and then a Russian speaker posted an altered version of one of the documents on Telegram, Toler said.

US officials believe someone altered that document to make the estimated number of Ukrainians killed in the war far higher than it actually is.

The Pentagon said Thursday that it was aware of the social media posts and it was investigating the matter.

On Discord Friday, speculation and paranoia were rife, with some users wondering if they could get in trouble for re-posting the documents now that the US government is investigating the matter. A user who posted photos of the documents on March 1 appeared to have deleted his accounts on Twitter and Discord.

“The fact that unedited and edited – doctored – versions of some files are available online makes me skeptical that this is a professional Russian intelligence operation,” Thomas Rid, an expert on state-backed information operations, told CNN.

Historically, if an intelligence agency has access to classified material from an adversary and decides to falsify some of the material, they typically don’t make both versions of those documents public, said Rid, who is a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies.

“That only makes it easier to detect the facts, and thus defeats the purpose,” Rid said.

There is concern, however, that the leaked documents could have real-world impact.

“If real, the leaking of these documents can do significant damage to Ukrainian counteroffensive since this information effectively provides Russia with Ukrainian order of battle — extensive information on capabilities of brigades that would be involved in upcoming counteroffensive,” said Dmitri Alperovitch, a Russia analyst who is executive chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments Friday.

CNN’s Alex Marquardt and Jenny Hansler contributed to this report.

The post DOJ opens investigation into leaks of apparent classified US military documents first appeared on The Audio Posts – The News And Times.

State Department: US to Host Investment Forum on Ukraine

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Some of the focus of the new event will be on ‘sustainable’ recovery

The post State Department: US to Host Investment Forum on Ukraine first appeared on The Audio Posts – The News And Times.

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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine was beginning a new tradition of hosting an official iftar.

The post Zelensky Hosts Iftar, Slams Russian ‘Repression’ of Crimea Muslims first appeared on The Audio Posts – The News And Times.

Zelensky: New Sanctions Package Set Toward Russia

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President announces new measures during nightly address.

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Evan Gershkovich: Russia charges US journalist with spying

The WSJ said its reporter had dropped out of contact with his editors while working in Yekaterinburg, about 1,600km (1,000 miles) east of Moscow, on Wednesday afternoon.

The post Evan Gershkovich: Russia charges US journalist with spying first appeared on The Audio Posts – The News And Times.

Pentagon investigates reported leak of top secret Ukraine documents

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The Pentagon is investigating a reported security breach that saw classified war documents detailing secret American and Nato plans for supplying aid to Ukraine before its prospective offensive against Russia leaked to social media platforms, the New York Times reported.

The top secret documents were spread on Twitter and Telegram, and reportedly contain charts and details about anticipated weapons deliveries, battalion strengths and other sensitive information, the NYT said. According to military analysts, the papers appear to have been altered in certain parts from their original format, overstating American estimates of Ukrainian war dead and understating estimates of Russian troops killed, citing how the modifications could point to an effort of disinformation by Moscow.

“We are aware of the reports of social media posts and the department is reviewing the matter,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy press secretary at the Pentagon, as officials were working to get them deleted but had not yet succeeded.

The NYT said the documents, which are five weeks old with at least one carrying a “top secret” label, do not contain details of when, how, or where Ukraine intends to launch its counteroffensive.

However, according to analysts, the leak represents a “significant breach of American intelligence in the effort to aid Ukraine”.

One of the documents, which circulated on pro-Russian government channels, summarised the training schedules of 12 Ukrainian combat brigades, and said nine of them were being trained by US and Nato forces, and needed 250 tanks and more than 350 mechanised vehicles, the newspaper said.

The classified papers also contain details on expenditure rates for munitions under Ukrainian military control, including for the Himars rocket systems, the US-made artillery rocket systems that have proved highly effective against Russian forces.

In a separate development on Friday, Russia appeared to have made important gains in Bakhmut, one of the bloodiest battles of the year-long war, with outgunned Ukrainian troops holding out despite Moscow’s numerical superiority.

The UK Ministry of Defence said in its daily update that Russian forces had “highly likely advanced into the [Bakhmut] town centre, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine’s key supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened.”

It added: “There is realistic possibility that, locally, Wagner and Russian MoD commanders have paused their ongoing feud and improved cooperation.”

The battle for Bakhmut has raged for seven months, with thousands of people killed and hundreds of buildings collapsed or charred. The few remaining civilians have been confined to basements for months with no running water, electricity or gas.

In spite of the rumours earlier this year of a retreat of his troops from the area, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said he had instructed the army to find forces to bolster the defence of the embattled city.

The eastern military command spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi told Reuters that Ukraine controlled the situation in Bakhmut, understood Russian intentions and that Moscow had tactical success in some places, but was paying a high price for it.

“The situation is difficult, the enemy is concentrating maximum efforts to capture Bakhmut. However, it is suffering serious losses and not reaching strategic success,” Cherevatyi said.

“All decisions are taken with the aim of not allowing the enemy to break through our defence, to inflict maximum damage to it and preserve personnel.

“Having tactical success in some places, the enemy pays an exorbitant price for it and loses combat potential every day.”

Reuters contributed to this report

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