Wagner PMC tried purchasing weapons in Turkey – US intelligence documents leak
9 April, 2023 Russian mercenaries from the so-called Wagner PMC on the territory of Ukraine. October 2022. Ukraine.
Photo credits: Russian media Some of the US intelligence documents that were released yesterday on social media contain information that shows that the Wagner PMC mercenaries tried to purchase weapons in Turkey. The Washington Post reported this.
The obtained testimony suggests that at the beginning of February, representatives of the Wagner PMC met with their Turkish contacts to purchase weapons and equipment for the Wagner PMC mission in Mali and Ukraine. One of the reports also states that Assimi Goita, interim president of Mali, "confirmed that Mali can purchase weapons in Turkey on behalf of the Wagner mercenaries."
Russian mercenaries in Mali. Photo credits: Media of Mali
However, there are no reports on whether the official Turkish government knew about such negotiations and whether they were successful.
The media notes that the information that one of the NATO member countries could help Russia in the war against Ukraine is extremely dangerous. The fact that Turkey is blocking Sweden from joining NATO is also worth considering. A Turkish government spokesman declined to comment to reporters, and Mali's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request.
The documents also contain information that Wagner PMC plans involving Russian prisoners in hostilities in Ukraine. They emphasize that Russian troops have become dependent on private soldiers.
A pile of bodies of Russian Wagner PMC mercenaries eliminated in Ukraine. December 31, 2022.
Ukraine. A frame from a video released on social media
Like the report on meetings involving Turkey, these cite their sources as coming from "signals intelligence," a reference to electronic eavesdropping and communications intercepts. But because of the leak, there is a threat that these channels might become unavailable if they are exposed.
Information leak about hostilities in Ukraine
An investigation into the intelligence information leak is currently ongoing in the United States.
Among other things, it contains information about hostilities in Ukraine. WP notes that the documents were first released on February 28 and March 2 on Discord, a chat platform popular among gamers. Officials only became aware of the leak when the New York Times reported on it.
A part of the report contains assessments of combat operations in Ukraine that could have been prepared in the winter for the leaders of the Pentagon and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley. Photo credits: Reuters
The documents demonstrate that the US intelligence community penetrated deep into the Russian military and its command. This makes it possible to prevent attacks on Ukraine and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the Russian army.
At the same time, they emphasize that at least one slide from these documents, which refers to the losses of the parties during the war in Ukraine, could have been changed. It underestimated the losses on the part of the Russian Federation and overestimated the number of losses on the part of Ukraine. US intelligence uses a variety of information sources, but this disclosure might limit some of them.
The sources of the journalists also claim that because of the investigation, the USA limited the flow of intelligence information to the allies. This could become a problem for European intelligence services, which are afraid of being left without the necessary data. The reports contain information about China's activities, Russia's alleged support in the war against Ukraine, and Iran's attempts to obtain nuclear weapons.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.
Photo by REUTERS
There are also documents that study North Korea's nuclear program. In addition, the documents contain information that the South Korean government "struggled" with the US request to transfer artillery ammunition to Ukraine. However, South Korea's national security adviser suggested the possible sale of ammunition to Poland, which controls the main arms supply routes to Ukraine, to speed up delivery.
The source of the leak is currently unknown, and the investigation is ongoing in the United States.