Retired US officer shared classified Ukraine intel on dating site
David Slater, 64, was working as a civilian employee for the Air Force at US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) when he is said to have conspired to transmit national defense information.
The leaks occurred from February to April 2022, during the early stages of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. USSTRATCOM is responsible for overseeing the country's nuclear command and control systems.
Slater held a top secret security clearance and worked in a classified space at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He attended briefings that included intelligence classified up to top secret. Prosecutors said he later shared information from those briefings with a person who claimed to be a Ukrainian woman.
The two communicated using a messaging feature on an unnamed foreign dating platform. According to court filings, the woman regularly prompted Slater to reveal sensitive details and referred to him with phrases such as 'my secret informant love' and 'my secret agent.' In one message, she asked, 'Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room??'
Prosecutors said the information he disclosed included military targets, Russian military capabilities, and US and NATO planning.
The identity of the woman has not been made public and it's unclear whether she was working for a foreign government.
US Attorney Lesley Woods said Slater 'failed in his duty' to protect classified information. FBI Special Agent Eugene Kowel said the officer 'betrayed an oath' to safeguard national intelligence.
Slater faces up to ten years in prison for the leaks, but could serve a fraction of this under a plea agreement. His sentencing is set for October 8.
The case follows a similar breach in 2023 involving Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who admitted to posting highly classified documents on Discord, including battlefield maps and intelligence assessments about the Ukraine conflict.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump says he ‘loves' Russians
US President Donald Trump has expressed his 'love' for Russians and called them a 'great people.' At the same time, he threatened Moscow with more sanctions and set a new deadline for settling the Ukraine conflict. Trump maintained he had 'always gotten along with [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin' during a Q&A session with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Turnberry, Scotland on Monday. He praised Russia as a 'rich' nation that could be 'thriving like practically no other country' and spoke about the massive trade potential between Russia and the US. 'I don't want to do that to Russia, I love the Russian people,' he said when asked about potential new sanctions against Moscow. He expressed his disappointment over the slow pace of the peace process between Moscow and Kiev and accused Russia of striking Ukrainian cities. Trump said he was 'not interested in talking anymore' as his numerous 'respectful and nice conversations' with Putin led to nothing. Trump's words came as he set a new deadline for a Ukraine peace deal, which he said should be reached in '10 or 12 days' from Monday. Otherwise, Washington would impose new sanctions on Moscow. The previous deadline was expected to expire in early September. The new sanctions would include secondary restrictions and tariffs on countries and entities doing business with Russia. Moscow has repeatedly stated throughout the conflict that it is open for dialogue and could start negotiations without any preconditions as long as the situation on the ground is taken into account and the root causes of the conflict are addressed. Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Ukraine conflict was a 'difficult' one to resolve and cannot be settled 'instantly.' Russia also warned that Trump's new sanctions threats serve primarily 'as signals to continue the war' for Kiev and called on Washington to exert pressure on Ukraine instead. Russia and Ukraine renewed direct talks in Istanbul in May and have since held three rounds of negotiations but have not reached an agreement on a ceasefire yet.
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Trump ate von der Leyen for breakfast
US President Donald Trump dominated European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during trade negotiations, resulting in a bad deal for the EU, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. The trade pact was finalized on Sunday following months of tense negotiations. 'This was no agreement... Donald Trump ate Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast,' Orban said on a podcast on Monday. 'The European agreement is worse than the UK one. Setting it up for success will be difficult later on,' he argued. Washington set a 10% tariff on British imports in its deal with the UK last month. By comparison, EU exports to the US will face 15% tariffs, while American goods sold in the EU will face no retaliatory duties. Additionally, Brussels has pledged to invest another $600 billion in US industries, buy $750 billion worth of American energy, as well as purchase 'hundreds of billions of dollars' in US weapons, according to Trump. Von der Leyen said these investments will take place over the next three years. According to Orban, it is unclear who exactly will pay for this. The European Commission – the president of which signed the deal – lacks its own army and does not have the capital to buy US arms and energy resources, he said. 'In whose name was the agreement made?' he asked. Other officials in the EU also blasted the deal as lopsided. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Monday accused the bloc of caving to US coercion. Benjamin Haddad, France's minister in charge of European affairs, also criticized the 'unbalanced' trade pact, and called on Brussels to retaliate economically. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned in a speech on Monday that the deal will 'clearly' lead to the 'further deindustrialization of Europe and capital flight.' According to Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev, 'Trump wiped the floor with Europe.'
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Cost of renovating Trump's ‘flying palace' revealed
The luxury jet gifted to US President Donald Trump by Qatar is expected to cost $934 million or more to renovate, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing Air Force sources. The outlet claimed the funds were quietly diverted from money earmarked for modernizing the US ground-launched nuclear missile system. The Qatari royal family gifted Trump a $400 million Boeing 747-8, dubbed the 'flying palace,' earlier this year. The jet has been transferred to the Pentagon to serve as Air Force One while new Boeing aircraft remain delayed. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his Qatari counterpart signed an agreement for Qatar's 'unconditional donation' earlier this month. Renovations are expected to begin in the coming weeks. While the official cost is classified, sources told the NYT the Pentagon hid the renovation funds within the Sentinel program – an overhaul of the aging Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system with new launch facilities and communications. Air Force sources reportedly claimed the Pentagon quietly slipped a $934 million transfer for the Qatari jet's renovation into a document linked to the program recently sent to Congress. The handing over of the jet has sparked controversy and has been opposed by critics on ethics grounds. 'The more we learn about this deal, the more disturbing it becomes,' Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen told the NYT. She warned of 'significant security implications' in accepting a foreign aircraft as Air Force One and criticized diverting nuclear modernization funds for 'a vanity project for President Trump.' Air Force Secretary Troy Meink told Congress in June he expected the renovation to cost under $400 million. But Air Force engineers told the NYT the estimate was unrealistic, citing extensive upgrades including communications, anti-missile systems, engine improvements, removal of suspected surveillance devices, and Trump's added 'luxuries.' Trump defended the gift, telling reporters in May he 'would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,' adding, 'I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane'.'
