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April 14, 2023 - Russia-Ukraine news
By Amy Woodyatt, Hannah Strange, Kathleen Magramo, Brad Lendon, Adrienne Vogt and Matt Meyer, CNN
Updated 10:17 p.m. ET, April 14, 2023
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Images of leaked classified US documents were posted to at least 2 Discord chatrooms
From CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore and Sean Lyngaas
Images of the leaked classified US documents that led to the arrest of an Air National Guard member this week were posted to at least two chatrooms on the Discord social media platform, according to a CNN review of Discord posts and interviews with its users.
The leaks began months ago on the first chatroom, called "Thug Shaker Central," that Teixeira allegedly oversaw, multiple US officials told CNN. An FBI affidavit unsealed Friday corroborates this timeline.
It is unclear how, exactly, photos of the classified documents later ended up on a second Discord chatroom, known as "End of Wow Mao Zone," in March. But four members of Wow Mao Zone told CNN they saw another user, who went by “Lucca” and does not appear to be Teixeira, repost some of the classified documents to that chatroom.
CNN has been unable to contact Lucca or establish their identity. End of Wow Mao Zone members were reluctant to identify themselves beyond screen names.
Why the docs matters for the war in Ukraine: The documents included a wide range of highly classified information, including eavesdropping on key allies and adversaries, and blunt assessments on the state of the Ukraine war.
One document reveals that the US has been spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That is unsurprising, said a source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak.
More background: The second user tied to the spread of classified documents, Lucca, had stature and anonymity on Discord — two things that allowed the documents to remain on the platform for weeks without repercussions. And multiple users assumed the documents were fake, thinking no one would be brazen enough to post US military secrets to the platform.
Lucca was a "respected user," one Discord user told CNN in a text conversation, and it was expected that Lucca would take the images down. But they didn't. Many of the chat rooms are very lightly moderated, and the images stayed up for weeks, according to the four users who spoke to CNN.
After posting the documents, Lucca would add "fresh off the press" or something along those lines, one user added. "He would post them for attention. It was very common for him to ping everyone," the user said.
What Discord says: Discord is aware of Teixeira’s arrest and has cooperated with US law enforcement on the investigation, a spokesperson told CNN in a statement Thursday night.
“Our Terms of Service expressly prohibit using Discord for illegal or criminal purposes, which includes the sharing of documents on Discord that may be verifiably classified,” the spokesperson said.
Several people were killed in Russian missile strikes. Here's what else to know
From CNN staff
A Russian attack on an eastern Ukrainian city left at least eight people dead as the missiles hit residential areas and "ordinary civilian buildings,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The man accused of leaking classified US intelligence documents was formally charged in Boston. Meantime, Ukraine's prime minister declined to say anything about the documents as he met with US officials in Washington, DC, but emphasized the countries are united.
Here are the top headlines to know:
- Deadly missile strikes: At least eight people were killed and 21 injured in Russian missile strikes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, officials said. The head of the Sloviansk city military administration said the attack was "one of the most massive since the beginning of the year." Zelensky said people are under the rubble and rescue operations are still ongoing.
- Putin's new system: President Vladimir Putin signed a law creating an electronic conscription registry that aims to make draft dodging harder in Russia. The new system will deliver military call-up papers to a state government portal. Previously, draft letters were only considered valid when physically presented and signed for. The move spurred fears that more citizens may soon be mobilized to fight in Ukraine.
- Classified documents leak: Jack Teixeira was formally charged Friday in the leak of classified US intelligence documents posted on social media. The documents detailed eavesdropping on key allies and adversaries and blunt assessments on the state of the Ukraine war. Russia said it is analyzing leaked US classified documents and said the veracity of the information is questionable, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
- Weapons to Ukraine: Ukrainian soldiers have finished their training on the Danish-donated CAESAR artillery system. The equipment is expected to arrive in Ukraine "in the coming weeks," Denmark’s defense ministry said.
- Rebuilding Ukraine: The International Monetary Fund's managing director said Friday that the global economy can continue to afford the cost of Ukraine's recovery from the Russian invasion. He called it a “miracle” that Ukraine now has “predictable financing,” including a recently approved $15.6 billion IMF support program to be doled out over the next four years.
- Detained American journalist: The Russians have not said what they want in exchange for Evan Gershkovich's release, said Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. He also said he has talked to the sister of Paul Whelan, another detained American, who has expressed her frustration. Gershkovich's family spoke out for the first time since his detention, saying the journalist felt it was his duty to report in Russia
Russia has not indicated what they want for release of detained journalist, US hostage envoy says
From Jennifer Hansler
Russia has not indicated what it would want in exchange for the release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, said Roger Carstens, special presidential envoy for hostage affairs. The US has officially designated Gershkovich as wrongfully detained.
“There are negotiations I’ve had in the past, not with the Russians, where the other side has actually, through secret channels, said, ‘we’re doing something and by the way here’s what we want to get out of this.’ In this case, there have been no discussions of that sort and we don’t yet know,” Carstens said.
The envoy said it was “in a way too early” to speak on negotiations about Gershkovich’s release.
“In our mind, we’ve mapped out where we think we might want to go, but a lot of it’s going to be based on whether we can get him out before that,” Carstens said, adding the US would continue to press the Russians on the reporter’s innocence.
Carstens said he met with Gershkovich’s family on Thursday, describing them as “positive” and “resilient.”
Asked about frustration from Paul Whelan’s sister at her brother’s continued detention, Carstens noted he had been talking with Elizabeth Whelan for years and reiterated that he also spoke with Paul Whelan earlier this week.
“We’re not taking our foot off the gas. We’re going to find a way to bring Paul and Evan home,” he said. “They’re front and center in our mind. We are going to find a way to get this done.”
Ukrainian prime minister says Kyiv and Washington remain united despite leaks controversy
From CNN's Jennifer Hansler
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal on Friday declined to say if he had discussed the mass leak of classified documents in meetings with US officials in Washington this week –but emphasized that the two countries are united.
Shmyhal also did not respond to a question from CNN if any US officials had apologized about the leak of the documents, many of which concern the war in Ukraine.
“We discussed many very important questions and challenges and issues with all officials with whom we have meetings during this three days,” he said at a press conference at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.
In his meeting with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Shmyhal said that they discussed “many very important strategic issues.”
“We are crucially united and absolutely united with Americans and other international partners in preparation of our counteroffensive and we are sure that we will win this war. We will liberate our territories,” he said.
He elaborated that Ukraine and the US are united on issues such as training soldiers, ammunition and weapons supplies, including long-range missiles.
Shmyhal suggested without evidence that the leak of the documents was tied to Russia, but said, “I'm sure that the investigation will demonstrate all the conclusions.”
The documents: Some of the leaked documents divulged key weaknesses in Ukrainian weaponry, air defense, and battalion sizes and readiness at a critical point in the war just as the US and Ukraine have begun to develop a more mutually trusting relationship over intelligence-sharing.
One document reveals that the US has been spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. That is unsurprising, said a source close to Zelensky, but Ukrainian officials are deeply frustrated about the leak.
Putin approves new system that makes draft dodging harder for Russians
From CNN’s Uliana Pavlova and Rob Picheta
President Vladimir Putin signed a law Friday creating an electronic conscription registry that aims to make draft dodging harder in Russia.
The new system will deliver military call-up papers to a state government portal called GosUslugi. Once the summons appears in the portal, it will be considered delivered.
Previously, draft letters were only considered valid when physically presented and signed for.
The law also allows for any draftee ignoring an online summons to be legally declared a fugitive after a week, banned from leaving Russia and have their assets frozen.
During Russia’s partial mobilization last September, men dodged the draft by leaving their registered addresses, not signing for draft letters and warning their family and coworkers from doing the same for them.
Fears of a new draft: When the Russian parliament approved the law making the country's conscription program more efficient and harder to evade on Wednesday, it spurred fears that more citizens may soon be mobilized to fight in Ukraine.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, characterized the law as an unremarkable streamlining of Russia’s biannual conscription process.
But CNN spoke to a number of Russians who dismiss the Kremlin’s reassurances, and say the move lays the groundwork for another attempt to force Russians onto the battlefields in Ukraine.
“I don’t believe a word of this,” Alexey, a 41-year-old lawyer from Moscow, told CNN. While he is not within the official age range for mobilization, he does not expect the Kremlin to stick to its own guidelines when calling up recruits. “Now it will be much easier to mobilize me, given how digitalized life in Moscow has become."
“This may well be an attempt to avoid the full-scale manhunt they employed before, which caused so much panic,” said a 25-year-old Russian named Artem. He dodged the September mobilization despite receiving a call-up.
8 killed in Russian missile strikes in eastern city of Sloviansk, Ukrainian official says
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio and Yulia Kesaieva
Ukrainian authorities have updated the death toll for Russian missile strikes in the eastern city of Sloviansk, with the head of the Donetsk region military administration saying eight people were killed and 21 injured.
At least seven locations were hit by S-300 surface-to-air missiles, which Russia has often used to hit ground targets, Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian national television.
"It is confirmed that seven S-300 missiles were launched on the multi-apartment buildings," he said.
"A little boy was pulled out of rubble in front of my eyes, while he was still alive," Kyrylenko said. "Unfortunately, he died in the ambulance."
"Today's attack on Sloviansk was one of the most massive since the beginning of this year," the head of the Sloviansk city military administration, Vadym Liakh, said. "There were several strikes on different districts of the city."
The missiles hit residential areas and "ordinary civilian buildings,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"People are under the rubble. Everything is done to save them, everything is done to save the wounded," Zelensky said in his nightly address.
The president said on his official Telegram that the attack is just another example of Russia's brutality during its invasion.
"The evil state once again demonstrates its essence. Just killing people in broad daylight. Ruining, destroying all life," Zelensky wrote. "There will be fair accountability for every manifestation of terrorism. We will not leave a single trace of Russia on our land. And we will not leave any enemy unpunished either."
Rescue operations in the areas hit are still ongoing.
Kyrylenko said these incidents were not uncommon, calling on civilians to evacuate to parts of the country further away from the front line.
"The evacuation is provided; the place for temporary location is provided," he added.
According to Kyrylenko, Kramatorsk was also hit by an S-300 missile, and Kostianynivka was struck by multiple launch rocket system artillery.
Ukrainians finish training on Danish-donated artillery, with equipment expected to arrive in Ukraine soon
From CNN’s Vasco Cotovio
Ukrainian soldiers have finished their training on the Danish-donated CAESAR artillery system, and the equipment is expected to arrive in Ukraine "in the coming weeks," Denmark’s defense ministry said in a statement on Friday.
“Education and training [on the CAESAR system] has now been completed and the Ukrainians are ready to put the system into use,” according to the ministry statement.
Denmark had announced it would donate all of its 19 French-produced CAESAR artillery systems to Ukraine earlier in the year.
“This is a newly developed artillery system which was still being implemented in the Danish defence,” the statement read. “The artillery system is expected to be delivered to Ukraine in the coming weeks.”
The US has formally charged the man suspected of leaking classified documents. Here's what we know
From CNN staff
The suspect in the leak of classified US intelligence documents posted on social media was formally charged Friday during his first appearance in federal court in Boston.
The FBI arrested Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, Thursday in North Dighton, Massachusetts.
He faces two charges:
- Unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information
- Unauthorized removal of classified information and defense materials
An affidavit revealed new details about Teixeira's case, including that investigators suspect him of leaking information as early as December 2022. A member of his online chat group told the FBI Teixeira was scared to copy documents at work so he took them home to photograph, according to the court documents.
The affidavit also revealed a US government agency's claim that Teixeira used his government computer to search for the word "leak" in classified intelligence reporting, and that he used his real home address to register for the social media platform where he allegedly shared the classified documents.
Why it matters for the war in Ukraine: The documents included a wide range of highly classified information, including eavesdropping on key allies and adversaries and blunt assessments on the state of the Ukraine war.
Follow live updates on the story here.
