Moscow: The 'Donbass Devushka' online collective's spokesperson is a 37-year-old former US Navy officer, according to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report. Following their investigation into the collective, the newspaper has supported the assertions made by the pro-Ukrainian online movement NAFO.
According to reports, Sarah Bils, a former US enlisted aviation electronics technician, leads a group of 15 people known as "Donbass Devushka" (also known as "Donbass Girl").
The WSJ spoke with Bils about the crucial role the collective played in leaking the Pentagon leaks, or the classified US documents that revealed US espionage and positions on Ukraine.
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US Airman First Class Jack Teixeira was accused of improperly sharing the Pentagon leaks after an online investigation involving US government-funded Bellingcat.
Despite the fact that some of the documents were reportedly shared by the Donbass Devushka accounts first, Bils insists that she has not violated any US laws and that another group administrator posted the files.
"I obviously understand the seriousness of top-secret, sensitive information. She claimed to the WSJ, "We didn't leak them.
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According to the report, Bils worked at the US Naval Air Station on Whidbey Island until last November before receiving a promotion to the E-7 rank. The reason for her demotion was unclear, but she was discharged with honour and the lower rank of E-5. In the interview, she stated that she had PTSD and had to leave for medical reasons. She had access to some sensitive information because of her rank.
Two locals in another car were hurt in a high-speed collision on Whidbey Island in September 2021, according to a local news report about Sarah Bils, 36, who was involved. In podcasts she hosted, Bils even spoke with a Russian accent and claimed to be of Russian and Jewish descent.
Pekka Kallioniemi, a fellow at the Finnish University of Tampere, revealed her identity as "a regular Yankee girl, living in Oak Harbour" on Sunday in a thread on Twitter. He claimed that NAFO, a pro-Kiev internet movement well-known for its use of Shiba Inu dog images and trolling techniques, was responsible for outing her.
Kallioniemi referred to Bils as a "grifter" and claimed that she was spreading false information to solicit donations. She denied sending money to the Russian military, which would have gone against US sanctions, to the Wall Street Journal.
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According to her, the "small" sum of money she had raised was used to support the collective's operations as well as charitable organisations in Serbia, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and the Palestinian Territories.