Writing on Telegram on Tuesday, Pushilin noted that the “the whole world is abuzz” discussing the leaks, which contain purported information about plans to shell Russian territory, force Israel to supply weapons to Ukraine and shed light on US surveillance of Ukrainian President Zelensky and other allies. Several Western media outlets have reported that the leaks sent shockwaves through Washington, with Joe Biden’s administration apparently being sent into “crisis mode.”
The Pentagon, meanwhile, has said that the papers pose “a very serious risk” to Washington. However, a number of countries have since started to doubt the authenticity of the leaked documents, including Ukraine, which has portrayed them as a Russian ploy to derail Kiev’s planned counteroffensive. Others have pointed to inconsistencies and inaccuracies presented in the files. Nevertheless, the Western media seems to be actively trying to create an “information tsunami” about the topic, according to Pushilin, who suggested it could mean the leaks may have been deliberate.
“Who knows, this could be the preparation of the global community for a possible reduction in support for Ukraine on the eve of the highly publicized counteroffensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces,” Pushilin wrote. He also said, however, that regardless of the content of the leaked documents or the true intentions of the West, Russia’s task is to continue working and not respond to provocations.
The DPR head added that if the West was indeed trying to mislead Russia, it would not succeed, because “the bitter experience of our interaction has taught us to treat everything with a significant amount of skepticism.” Pushilin stated that it was still necessary to pay attention to the possible plans of Washington and Kiev, noting that the leaked information could very well turn out to be a “double game” and that Russian forces should reinforce targets mentioned in the documents. He also said that regardless of the true nature of the leaks, they once again proved that the US is directly involved in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.