According to leaked classified Pentagon documents, U.S. agents caught Russian intelligence officers boasting that they had convinced the United Arab Emirates “to work together” against U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies.
The Pentagon and the DOJ are investigating the leak of dozens of classified documents about U.S. spying on Russia’s military in Ukraine. About 100 have been posted online which the feds believe are real, though certain parts may have been altered.
U.S. officials have declined to comment on reports of Russian intel reaching out to the UAE, but the Emerati government dismissed any such claims of deepened intel ties with Russia as “categorically false.”
However, there have been growing concerns within the U.S. government that the UAE may be helping Russians thwart sanctions imposed over the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
In recent years, U.S. intel officials have also pointed to suspected links between the UAE and the Russian paramilitary organization the Wagner Group, whose mercenaries have been doing battle in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group amid Western and Ukrainian accusations that it’s using convicts as cannon fodder.
The leaked document reportedly cites research from March 9 with the title, “Russia/UAE: Intelligence Relationship Deepening.” U.S. officials have not confirmed its authenticity. The document did, however, resemble other recently leaked documents.
Along with an investigation by the DOJ, Defense Department spokesperson Sabrina Singh has said that the Pentagon is reviewing and assessing the impact of the leaked documents, which reveal U.S. spying not just on Russia but also on allies, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
