"Top secret' documents Are files real and what do they tell us?

There appear to be classified US intelligence documents, which look to be hard copies of briefing materials. Some relate to the Ukraine war and Russia while others contain material from spying on allies.

- Peter Beaumont

What does the leak involve?

Images said to be classified US documents began popping up on social media servers associated with the gaming community – including on the instant messaging platform Discord. An as-yet unidentified poster first began sharing the material by typing it out with their own thoughts, then, as of a few months ago, posting photos of the documents, some lying on top of a hunting magazine.

The photographed papers had folds in them, leading to the working assumption that, given the state of the documents, they were put in a pocket and taken out of a secure location, suggesting someone with a degree of access.

Is the material genuine?

The leak is being treated seriously by US intelligence agencies.

However, material that has appeared on Russian channels seems to have been altered, such as assessments in the Ukraine conflict that were reportedly doctored to minimise Russian casualties and amplify Ukrainian ones.