House of Cards: Former US navy officer, pro-Russian telegram channel on FBI radar for Pentagon leaks

Pentagon: The FBI and navy officers in the United States are investigating role of a pro-Russian social media account in the dissemination of highly confidential documents on social media.

The investigators have also reportedly contacted a non-commissioned officer from the navy over alleged connections with the social media account, sources told the media.

The investigation started after photographs of allegedly sensitive US intelligence connected to Russia’s battle in Ukraine were shared on Telegram on April 5 by the Donbass Devushka Telegram account, which boasts more than 70,000 subscribers and calls itself “Russian-style information warfare.”

The former Navy officer Sarah Bils admitted to CNN on Monday that she was one of several administrators of the Donbass Devushka Telegram channel, but she insisted that she did not re-post the sensitive information and had no involvement in the breaches.

According to Bils, someone else in charge of the Telegram account re-posted the images, which she later “personally deleted.”

The Donbass Devushka social media profiles are managed by 15 persons, according to Bils, who told The Wall Street Journal that they are located “all over the world.”

The scope and specifics of the probe are still unclear, according to the reports.

NCIS spokesperson Jeff Houston responded to CNN’s inquiry about whether the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was looking into Bils with the following statement: “I confirm that NCIS is continuing to work jointly with the Department of Justice on this investigation.”

Houston then directed CNN to the Department of Justice. Both the Justice Department and the FBI are yet to issue a comment on the matter.

In an email to CNN, Bils stated that the FBI had spoken with her and that they were aware “I had nothing to do with those leaks.”

She continued, “There have been numerous threats against myself and my home,” adding that the bureau is also involved.

The pictures of secret documents that the Donbass Devushka Telegram account uploaded were initially distributed months ago in a closed Discord chat session.

US authorities contend that Air National Guardsman Jack Teixeira, 21, posted the secret documents on Discord before the images spread online.

Teixeira, who was detained last week and accused with violating the Espionage Act, has no connection to the Donbass Devushka accounts, according to the information available.

However, Bils’ involvement in disseminating pro-Russian propaganda raises more troubling concerns for the Pentagon over the possible influence that members of the US military, both active and retired, may have in influencing public opinion towards the conflict in Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal and internet activists and analysts who support Ukraine under the name NAFO were the first to report about Bils’ connection to Donbass Devushka.

According to Navy documents, Bils served on a US Naval air station until November. Bils told CNN that she and other people controlled the online persona known as Donbass Devushka, or Donbas Girl.

Joe Bodnar, a research analyst at the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy, claimed that the Donbass Devushka accounts on Telegram, Twitter, YouTube, and Spotify essentially serve as disinformation aggregators and amplifiers.

Bodnar told CNN that Russian diplomats and overt propagandists had taken notice of Donbass Devushka’s success since they had retweeted the account numerous times this year.

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