WASHINGTON, April 8. /TASS/. The US Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the alleged leakage of classified Pentagon documents on the Internet regarding Western military assistance to Kiev, Russia's special military operation and other matters, a representative of the department told reporters.

"We have been in communication with the Department of Defense related to this matter and have begun an investigation. We declined further comment," the official said as quoted by US media outlets, including the Associated Press and CBS TV channel. The department did not respond to a request from TASS for details.

According to The Washington Post, the investigation concerns documents that were published on a number of social networks. They provide assessments of the Northern Military District, the Russian armed forces, Ukrainian troops, and Western military assistance provided to Kiev. Some of the documents include assessments relating to China and other countries, the Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East.

According to a Pentagon source, some of the documents were allegedly prepared last winter for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, Mark Milley, and other military personnel. The documents were also made available to "hundreds if not thousands" of US military professionals.

It follows from the publication that the documents distributed on the Internet, in particular, provide information on the deployment of Ukrainian air defense systems, on the expenditure of artillery shells of the Ukrainian armed forces, as well as assessments of the situation around Artemovsk (the Ukrainian name is Bakhmut).

A Pentagon spokesman, commenting on reports of leaked documents, told TASS: "We are aware of the reports and the Department is reviewing the matter.".