Former U.S. Officer Admits Leaking Ukraine War Secrets via Dating Site

A retired U.S. Army officer has admitted to sharing classified information about Russia’s war against Ukraine with a person he met on a dating site.

David Slater, 64, who later worked as a civilian employee for the U.S. Air Force, reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, according to the Associated Press. In return, two additional charges were dropped.

Court records do not disclose the identity of the person Slater corresponded with, nor the name of the dating platform. It remains unclear whether the recipient was connected to Ukraine, Russia, or another country.

Slater retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2020. Between August 2021 and April 2022, he worked at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, where he had access to top secret information and attended classified briefings related to the war in Ukraine.

During that period, Slater began communicating online with someone who claimed to be Ukrainian. He eventually shared classified information about Russian military objectives and capabilities. Some of the material was marked “secret.”

Messages cited in court filings show the individual referring to Slater as “my secret lover-informant” and “my secret agent.” In one message, the person wrote: “Dave, I hope NATO will prepare a very pleasant surprise for Putin tomorrow! Will you tell me?”

Slater was arrested in March 2024. Prosecutors and defense attorneys have recommended a sentence of between 5 years and 10 months and 7 years and 3 months. The maximum sentence under the charge is 10 years.

“Access to classified information carries great responsibility,” said U.S. Attorney Leslie Woods of Nebraska. “David Slater betrayed his duty by knowingly sharing national defense information with an unknown individual online, despite his many years of military experience that should have raised suspicions about that individual’s motives.”

U.S. District Judge Brian Buescher is expected to deliver a sentence on October 8. Slater remains free until then.

This is not the first recent case involving leaked U.S. military intelligence. Last year, former National Guard member Jack Teixeira was sentenced to 15 years in prison for leaking classified Pentagon documents about the war in Ukraine.