Former U.S. Air Force Officer Sentenced for Leaking Top-Secret Ukraine-Russia War Data via Dating Site
In the United States, a high-profile trial is underway against a former Air Force officer who used a dating platform to secretly transmit classified information regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
This case has exposed yet another breach of national security secrets amid intense scrutiny of intelligence leaks.
According to local media reports, 64-year-old David Slater, who previously served as a civilian contractor with the U.S.
Strategic Command at Offutt Air Base, has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
He was also fined $25,000 and will undergo one year of supervised release after his prison term.
During the trial, Slater pleaded guilty to conspiracy to disclose defense secrets.
Prosecutors revealed that between 2021 and 2022, he had access to confidential briefings regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine.
He transferred this information through a messaging platform on a foreign dating website to an individual posing as a Ukrainian woman.
The exchanged messages included terms like “my secret informant, my beloved” and “you are my secret agent with love.” Court documents do not disclose the identity of his accomplice or whether she had any ties to Ukrainian or Russian governments.
Slater was arrested in March 2024.
His case is one of several alarming leaks in the U.S., including the arrest of 21-year-old soldier Jack Tayshira, who shared Pentagon documents pertaining to Ukraine’s military strategy.
The year 2024 has been marked by various security incidents highlighting the importance of stringent controls over classified information and ongoing cyber espionage threats.