US Navy veteran known for pro-Russian channel helped in spreading Pentagon secrets: Report

An ex-US Navy noncommissioned officer, who widely reports on the raging Ukrainian conflict from Russia's point-of-view and is a prominent pro-Russia online voice since the inception of war "played a key role in the spread of intelligence documents" from Pentagon, US based newspaper WSJ has reported. The classified files were leaked by US Airman First Class Jack Teixeira in the covert gaming online chat room on his invitation-only server of the Discord platform. They turned into online fodder for the world's military, war enthusiasts, and the press when they were uploaded via Donbass Devushka’s account, the paper said. Several dozen other classified files appeared on Discord, containing exclusive secrets from Pentagon, United States' military HQ.  Netherlands-based investigative group Bellingcat found first version of classified leaked documents on Telegram channel “Donbass Devushka” at 9:29pm (Ukraine time) on April 5.

The 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, an information technology specialist, was taken under arrest by the FBI for the disclosure of highly classified military materia that Pentagon and US Department of Defence said plunged America into the worst national security crisis in several decades. Jack Teixeira, the airman first class in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, was detailed to an Air Force intelligence unit, according to the official page of the 102nd Intelligence Wing based at Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts. He was arraigned Friday last week for unauthorised retention and transmission of Pentagon's classified documents that he stole from the US military.

'Donbass Devushka', which translates as Donbass Girl, is the prominent online channel that runs the network of pro-Kremlin war reportage on social media, and is involved in the podcasting, merchandise and fundraising account networks across Twitter and Telegram. It describes itself as engaging in “Russian–style information warfare" and posts pro-Moscow rhetorics of the invasion of Ukraine that was ordered by Russia's Presdient Vladimir Putin in February 2022. 

Another source: There are alarming changes in the Bakhmut direction near the T-0504 highway.

In the video that appeared from the AFU fighters, the beer store "Live. Beer", is located near the T-0504 highway. AFU fighter informs that this territory is under the control of the… pic.twitter.com/qQqIF85T5l

— Donbass Devushka (@PeImeniPusha)

Devushka is an online persona or an identity adopted by a Washington-state based former US enlisted aviation electronics technician who was promoted to the E-7 rank of chief aviation electronics technician in late 2020, US Navy's website data suggested. The actual name of the account holder is Sarah Bils. The latter served as active duty member at the US naval air station on Whidbey Island until last year. As Russia invaded Ukraine earlier last year, Donbass Devushka turned into the most followed English-language channels online. Devushka often reports in favour of the Russian military and the shadowy paramilitary Wagner Group. Military record accessed by the paper show that Donbass Devushka left US military in November, 2022. 

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin orders review of intelligence access

On April 5, Donbass Devushka's Telegram account uploaded trove of leaked classified documents to its hundreds of thousands of followers, that are believed to have been picked up later by the leading American news coroporations. On Telegram, the classified Pentagon documents became viral across dozens of Russian channels which, in actual, coerced Pentagon into launching an official investigation into the leak. Bils, in an interview with WSJ paper on Sunday, argued that another administrator also posted the four files, adding that there are more than 15 people “all over the world” who run the Donbass Devushka network, all of whom Devushka declined to identify in the press. Bils, who had a security clearance during the Navy service, denies stealing any classified information. 

"I am at liberty because I did not and I have not committed such a crime. As for being the alleged source of the leak, the channel did not solicit for these documents"—Donbass Devushka wrote in a string of tweets, also exposing the federal crime the account is being accused of by the angry Americans.

"As people can see from what is going on with Jack Teixera, I would not have been tweeting anything because unauthorized disclosure of classified documents is a federal offense - for a good reason - and that is met with a prison sentence," another tweet read on Sunday. 

Spokesman for the Pentagon, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, was quoted as saying by the paper that exactly what role Devushka played in the federal documents leak, and spread of the highly sensitive classified information, is subject to the Justice Department's scrutiny. "US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a review of intelligence access, accountability and control procedures within the Pentagon to help prevent future leaks," he reportedly said.