Social-Media Account Overseen by Former Navy Noncommissioned Officer Helped Spread Secrets

An American administrator of the Donbas Girl blogger network uses a pro-Russian persona across online platforms

A screenshot of the avatar on the Twitter page for Donbass Devushka, a network of social-media, podcasting, merchandise and fundraising accounts.

A social-media account overseen by a former U.S. Navy noncommissioned officer—a prominent online voice supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine—played a key role in the spread of intelligence documents allegedly leaked by Airman First Class Jack Teixeira, reposting files from obscure online chat rooms.

A purported Russian blogger known as Donbass Devushka, which translates as Donbas Girl, is the face of a network of pro-Kremlin social-media, podcasting, merchandise and fundraising accounts. But the person who hosted podcasts as Donbass Devushka and oversees these accounts is a Washington-state-based former U.S. enlisted aviation electronics technician whose real name is Sarah Bils. 

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