???? Live: Russia likely behind document leak including Ukraine war secrets, US officials say
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Russian investigators on Friday formally charged an American journalist with espionage which he had allegedly carried out “in the interest of his country”. The journalist, who works for the Wall Street Journal, has denied the charges. Read our live blog to see how the day’s events unfolded. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
8:04am: Russia likely behind US military document leak, US officials say
Russia or pro-Russian elements are likely behind the leak of several classified US military documents posted on social media that offer a partial, month-old snapshot of the war in Ukraine, three US officials told Reuters on Friday, while the Justice Department said separately it was probing the leak.
The documents appear to have been altered to lower the number of casualties suffered by Russian forces, the US officials said, adding their assessments were informal and separate from the investigation into the leak itself.
The US officials spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter and declined to discuss the documents in any detail.
The Kremlin and Russia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An initial batch of documents circulated on sites including Twitter and Telegram, dated March 1 and bearing markings showing them classified as “Secret” and “Top Secret.”
Later on Friday, an additional batch appearing to detail US national security secrets pertaining to areas including Ukraine, the Middle East and China surfaced on social media, The New York Times reported.
10:18pm: Zelensky hosts iftar, slams Russian ‘repression’ of Crimea Muslims
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday criticised Russia’s treatment of the Muslim-minority Tatar community in Kremlin-controlled Crimea and vowed to recapture the peninsula from Russia during a first official state iftar.
“Russia’s attempt to enslave Ukraine … began exactly with the occupation of Crimea, exactly with repressions against Crimean, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar freedom and of Crimean Muslims,” he told Ukrainian Muslim leaders and ambassadors from Muslim countries.
Russia wrested control of the Black Sea territory from Ukraine in 2014 and pushed through a referendum on the annexation that was condemned as fraudulent and illegitimate by Ukraine and its Western allies. The Tatar community, which accounted for 12-15 percent of the two million Crimea residents, largely boycotted the 2014 vote.
5:42pm: Russia formally charges US reporter with espionage
Russian investigators on Friday formally charged American journalist Evan Gershkovich with espionage. Gershkovich, who works for the Wall Street Journal, has denied the charges.
“FSB investigators charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia,” Russian state-run agency TASS said citing a law enforcement source.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and Reuters)
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