Year-Long Leak: Secret Plans in the Public Domain
For over a year, Russian soldiers from the 143rd Regiment engaged in activities bordering on sabotage: they published secret documents, passwords, and operational data in an open Telegram group. This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing an investigation by the publication ASTRA. Critically important information leaked into the public domain: from assault plans to access keys for drone broadcasts and data on the use of Starlink satellite terminals.
The group, accessible to anyone, became an inexhaustible source of intelligence for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Every day, links to closed command meetings via the "Yandex Telemost" service were posted there. Russian officers, without any security checks, sent secret orders from the headquarters of the Russian 5th Army to the chat. This allowed outsiders to see the battlefield through the eyes of Russian commanders in real time.
The Real Situation: Losses and Supply Problems
The published documents reveal the actual situation within Russian army units. For example, in an order from the headquarters of the 5th Army dated August 2025, signed by colonels, significant losses of assault groups were recorded. The command admitted that the causes were poor supply and low efficiency of robotic systems.
In response, the command issued an order to urgently equip automated carts with Starlink terminals. Commanders were required to regularly report on the availability of these devices, indicating attempts at modernization amidst shortages.
Decoys and Psychological Operations
Attempts to confuse the Ukrainian side using large-scale decoys were also reflected in the chat. In December 2025, an order appeared regarding the creation of "fake" positions in the Vremivka direction. Russian military personnel simulated the movement of equipment, the operation of field kitchens, and the activity of personnel.
The headquarters required soldiers to take special photos and videos that were supposed to look like covert footage of local residents with pro-Ukrainian views. The goal was for these materials to reach Ukrainian intelligence services as "informant reports" from patriots, but in the open chat, these plans became public knowledge.
The chat also contained plans for radio games and psychological operations, including orders from the army's intelligence chief regarding events in temporarily occupied territories.
The End of the Leak and Economic Consequences
The group stopped updating only on May 4. Administrators noticed the problem only at the end of April, when strangers began to be added to the chat in large numbers. After the information was published in the media, large-scale inspections began within the Russian forces.
Commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert "Madjar" Brovdy calculated the "cost" of each killed Russian soldier, estimating it at slightly less than $1,000. At the same time, due to Ukrainian long-range strikes, Russia suffers losses of tens of millions of dollars daily, which exacerbates crisis phenomena in the economy and brings it closer to stagnation.
Meanwhile, according to NY Post, the Kremlin plans to expand the list of targets for strikes on Ukraine this winter. In addition to the energy sector, two more strategic targets may come under attack.