Pentagon Leak: Did Egypt plan to produce 40,000 rockets for Russia in secret?
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Raven Ruma
- . April 12, 2023
- . Update: April 12, 2023 10:49 pm
It seems a number of classified US documents have been circulating on social media channels for weeks, or even months.
While some provide important details on Ukraine’s preparations for a potential spring counter-offensive, others offer critical information on China and allies like Israel and South Korea, prompting concerns over surveillance.
According to a document dated March 23, a handful of Western special forces are operating inside Ukraine, with the UK having the largest contingent (50), followed by Latvia, France, the US, and the Netherlands.
The documents are real, Pentagon officials were quoted as saying. The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation to find the source of the massive leak as well as the extent of it, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
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News organisations around the world have started reviewing the documents. Meanwhile, the Washington Post was also able to access a document from February that elaborated on Egypt’s plans to supply Russia with 40,000 rockets in secret.
Egyptian President Abdul Fatah al-Sisi told officials to keep the production a secret in an effort “to avoid problems with the West”, the Post reported, citing the leaked documents.
But an unnamed senior Egyptian official spoke to the Al-Qahera News website on Tuesday, rejecting supplying Russia with the rockets for its special military operation in Ukraine. The official called the Post report “informational tampering that has no basis in truth”.
In fact, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday that the US has not seen any indication of Egypt providing Russia with lethal weapons. He called Egypt – which has publicly condemned the war in Ukraine – a “significant security partner”, adding the relationship between the two countries goes back decades.
Meanwhile, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov also denied the Post’s report.
