Images of tanks on Russian streets brought to mind the failed 1991 coup by communist hardliners that raised concerns about the security of the Soviet nuclear arsenal.
The special status of nuclear-related information further erodes what many legal experts say is a weak defense centered around declassification.
A renewed crisis over Iran would come at a bad time for the U.S., which is focused on maintaining allies' support for the war in Ukraine and on rallying countries to push back on China.
The announcement by Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, that his fighters will abandon the city of Bakhmut looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation.
Serbia's Defense Minister Milos Vucevic dismissed the document's assertions as "untrue" in a statement on Wednesday.
Investigators are also working to determine what person or group might have had the ability and motivation to release the intelligence reports.
Kyiv has urged members of Congress to press the White House to approve sending the weapons but it is by no means certain that the Biden administration will sign off on that.
New accounts from Kherson have provided a rare window into how intelligence and sabotage operations are being coordinated with Ukrainian intelligence services behind enemy lines.
The green-roofed police building at No. 3, Energy Workers' Street, was the most notorious of several sites where people were interrogated and tortured.
Even with the vast Dnipro River now separating the enemies around Kherson, other objectives remain in play.
