US arrested Air Force member for leaking Ukraine-related data through dating website
Photo: an employee of the US Air Force who leaked data about Ukraine was detained in the USA (Getty Images)
In the United States, a member of the Air Force has been arrested on charges of disclosing classified information about Russia's invasion of Ukraine through an online dating platform, according to the US Department of Justice.
It is noted that the accused, a 63-year-old individual, is named David Slater. He worked at the US Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, and from August 2021 to April 2022, he had access to classified information. It is reported that before his tenure at Stratcom, he served in the US Army and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
The charging document states that Mr. Slater attended briefings at the strategic command concerning Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Allegedly, he transmitted gathered classified information from these briefings through an online dating service to an accomplice posing as a woman residing in Ukraine.
His interlocutor regularly requested him to provide classified information and referred to him in private messages as a "secret informant love" and a "secret agent."
"In response to these requests, Slater indeed provided classified NDI to her, including regarding military targets and Russian military capabilities relating to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine," the statement from the US Department of Justice reads.
The first court hearing in Slater's case will take place today, March 5. He faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of the charges.
It was previously reported that a former US diplomat who served as the ambassador to Bolivia pleaded guilty to working for Cuba for over 40 years. Victor Manuel Rocha, 73, was accused of covertly passing information to the Cuban government, led by communists, since 1981 when he worked at the US Department of State.
Additionally, we reported that Australian intelligence agencies uncovered a spy group called Team A, which was gathering information about the country's military cooperation with allies.
