Former US naval officer spread leaked intel docs on a pro-Russia site

Apr 17, 2023

Karah Rucker Reporter/Producer

By Karah Rucker (Reporter/Producer), Stacey Chamberlain (Digital Producer)

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As the U.S. continues to investigate how top secret documents were leaked online, new information is revealing how some of the leaked material spread so quickly. The information claims a social media account belonging to a former U.S. naval officer and pro-Russian blogger helped share the intel online. The former officer played a key role in the spread of intelligence documents that were allegedly leaked by Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira.

The avatar belonging to a social media account linked to Donbass Devushka shows a dark-haired woman with blue eyes, wearing a mask and holding a cat. According to the Wall Street Journal, the person who hosted podcasts as Donbass Devushka and would oversee the accounts is a Washington-state-based former U.S. enlisted aviation electronics technician. Her real name is Sarah Bils.

Purported Russian blogger Devushka reposted the leaked files from obscure online chatrooms. Her blog is the face of a network of pro-Russian social media accounts, and it has more than 65,000 followers. Leaked documents were found on that account before government officials were aware of the initial leak.

Bils served at the U.S. naval air station on Whidbey Island up until late 2022. Officials say the former naval officer did have security clearance, but there is no evidence that it was used to steal classified information.

Airman First Class Jack Teixeira was taken into custody on Thursday, April 13. The 21-year-old was formally charged in federal court with being the source of a massive leak of national defense information and other classified documents.

Tags: Air National Guard, Classified documents, Jack Teixeira, National Security, Navy, Russia, U.S. military

KARAH RUCKER: AS THE U.S. CONTINUES TO INVESTIGATE HOW TOP SECRET DOCUMENTS WERE LEAKED ONLINE AND JACK TEIXEIRA’S ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT — NEW INFORMATION IS REVEALING HOW SOME OF THE LEAKED MATERIAL SPREAD SO QUICKLY. IT CLAIMS A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT BELONGING TO A FORMER U.S. NAVAL OFFICER AND PRO-RUSSIAN BLOGGER – HELPED SHARE THE INTEL ONLINE.

THIS IS THE AVATAR BELONGING TO A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT LINKED TO “DONBASS DEVUSHKA”. ACCORDING TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL — IT’S AN ACCOUNT OVERSEEN BY A FORMER U.S. NAVY NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER.

IT’S A PROMINENT ONLINE VOICE SUPPORTING RUSSIA’S WAR WITH UKRAINE.

THE ACCOUNT IS FULL OF PRO-RUSSIA RHETORIC, MERCHANDISE AND FUNDRAISING.

THE PERSON WHO OVERSEES THE ACCOUNT SERVED AT A U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION UP UNTIL LATE LAST YEAR. THE PRO-RUSSIA ACCOUNT HAS MORE THAN 65-THOUSAND FOLLOWERS. AND LEAKED DOCUMENTS WERE FOUND ON THAT SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT. SHOWING THE SPREAD OF THE TOP SECRET INFORMATION BEGAN BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT FOUND OUT ABOUT THE LEAK.

OFFICIALS SAY THE FORMER NAVAL OFFICER DID HAVE SECURITY CLEARANCE — BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE THAT IT WAS USED TO STEAL CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

THE ORIGIN OF THE LEAK HAS BEEN PINNED ON AIR NATIONAL GUARDSMAN JACK TEIXEIRA, WHO WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY LAST WEEK. THE MATERIAL HE LEAKED WAS SHARED ONLINE MONTHS BEFORE IT GRABBED THE ATTENTION OF OFFICIALS.