About This "Leak"...

 ... of Pentagon "documents" related to VSU. OK, I am not going to beat around the bush here--the only real interest in those "documents" is their "origin" in purely internal American game of shells with the catastrophe it is getting, when their plan was to triumph and humiliate Russia. Period. In terms of valuable military information those "documents" contain none, other than confirmation of Pentagon being at a complete loss while facing the facts of SMO. Peskov's response to this "leak" is right on the money. 

“We don’t have the slightest doubt about direct or indirect involvement of the US and NATO in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” Dmitry Peskov told CNN in a statement. “This level of involvement is rising gradually,” he added. “We keep our eye on this process. Well, of course, it makes the whole story more complicated, but it cannot influence the final outcome of the special operation.”

And it warrants reminding everyone that Russia has an extremely advanced ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) complex ranging from human intel on the ground, electronic means to satellite constellations which provide excellent situational and tactical, operational and strategic awareness. In terms of war correlates and combat statistics--I wouldn't touch anything coming from Pentagon with a long stick. As Larry correctly notes:

This document, if true, removes any doubt that the United States and its NATO partners are involved heavily in helping Ukraine plan its upcoming offensive. What puzzles me is why the U.S., NATO and Ukraine are talking so openly about the upcoming Counter Offensive. Normally, professional military planners keep their plans SECRET and use deception to mask their true intentions. Well, these documents are classified SECRET, which is what you would expect. What does not make sense is that so many Western leaders are flapping their gums about the “SECRET” counter offensive.

Exactly, let us be very clear, in terms of operational and strategic planning NATO is not even in the same league as Russia's General Staff. The problem, in the end, is not just military--it is cultural and it is incomprehensible for the combined West. Especially when one considers what kind of Russia "experts" advise the military block designed only for beating up weak and defenseless victims. 

As my good acquaintance and REAL war correspondent who is constantly on the front lines, Marat Khairullin, correctly noticed:

Военный корреспондент Марат Хайруллин объяснил промедление российских сил в штурме Артемовска (украинское название — Бахмут) в ДНР. Своим мнение он поделился YouTube-канале PolitWera. Хайруллин считает, что российские войска взяли курс на уничтожение лучших резервов украинской армии и предотвращении наступления, поэтому они не спешат идти вперед. По мнению военкора, ситуация с удержанием Артемовска стала для Украины настоящей головной болью, поскольку удержание города приобрело для Киева прежде всего политическое значение. Хайруллин добавил, что российские силы создают для украинских войск перенапряжение на некоторых участках фронта, чтобы они туда бросали все новые и новые резервы для удержания.

Translation: War correspondent Marat Khairullin explained the delay of Russian forces in the assault on Artemovsk (Ukrainian name - Bakhmut) in the DPR. He shared his opinion on the PolitWera YouTube channel. Khairullin believes that Russian troops have set a course to destroy the best reserves of the Ukrainian army and prevent an offensive, so they are in no hurry to move forward. According to the military correspondent, the situation with the retention of Artemovsk has become a real headache for Ukraine, since the retention of the city has acquired primarily political significance for Kyiv. Khairullin added that Russian forces are creating an over-strain for the Ukrainian troops in some sectors of the front, so that they throw more and more reserves there for retention.

For the last 5-6 months, Vera, Vladimir Trukhan, Marat and yours truly have been discussing Russian Forces' deliberate strategic defense configuration non-stop. It is also absolutely clear that Artemovsk is now a real headache for NATO. The fact that NATO generals couldn't see what has become obvious after Russian Forces abandoned Kherson--effectively luring VSU into the slaughterhouse--is stupefying. It also demonstrates a complete detachment of West's military and political elements from each-other and this creates one catastrophe after another because Western political top is utterly, disastrously incompetent not only in basic military matters but lacks even rudimentary governing skills. Russians, meanwhile, are eagerly waiting for VSU's "counter offensive". I am sure with Pentagon's planning it will be a... crushing success, if you know what I mean.