The American military was accused of transferring classified information to a Russian

A US Navy officer is accused of passing classified information to a Russian citizen. Authorities have not disclosed the specific content that was leaked, but as a result, Chief Petty Officer Charles T. Briggs faces multiple charges. The edition told in more detail Dailymail.

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On Tuesday, December 8, he pleaded guilty to providing classified information to a Russian citizen. He was sentenced to 18 months and another 13 months on various charges. The convicted person will serve sentences in succession, writes 13newsnow.

What is he accused of

Briggs, an information technology and technology specialist at the Portsmouth Naval Medical Center, will be prosecuted by a military tribunal.

He was accused of unauthorized distribution of classified information obtained from a government computer and obstruction of justice.

In addition, he was accused of possession of child pornography, attempted viewing of child pornography and of giving false official statements.

Briggs reportedly used a government computer to obtain classified information on or around January 9, 2019 while at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.

The prosecution report says that Briggs had reason to believe that the information could be used to "harm the United States or to benefit a foreign citizen."

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Under President Donald Trump, the United States tried to mend relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation.

The already shaky connection seemed to partly fall apart when The New York Times published an explosive report claiming that Russia was paying Islamic militants in Afghanistan to kill American soldiers.

Although the White House called the report a "hoax", they reportedly began an internal hunt for the alleged author of the leaked information.

Tensions escalated further when the United States, Britain and Canada issued a joint statement accusing Russian hackers of trying to steal information about the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The indictment said that Briggs had passed on classified information to a person whose name had been removed from the document, identified only as a "Russian citizen."

The extent of the relationship between the Russian and Briggs is unclear, but the two reportedly knew each other personally.

There is information that while serving in the US Navy, Briggs did not disclose his connection with the Russian citizen.

Briggs also lied in a questionnaire asking if he had a "close and ongoing relationship" with anyone who was not a US citizen.

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Briggs allegedly went into hiding in 2018. The indictment says he did not inform military officials about his trip to Serbia.

Instead, he submitted documents that falsely claimed that he was in Nebraska while on vacation. Briggs is currently in detention.

Following a shocking New York Times article on Russia's possible actions, President Trump said he had never seen the report and called it "fake news stories."

But National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said Trump was not informed about the matter. O'Brien also admitted: the documents were at one of Trump's briefings, but they were specially presented by a CIA agent.

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Meanwhile, the United States was among three countries to accuse Russia of using hackers to steal information about COVID-19 research.

Authorities have pointed to the Russian hacker group APT29, also known as Cozy Bear and The Dukes.

The UK, US and Canada issued a sensational joint statement claiming that the hacker group APT29, also known as Cozy Bear, is involved in an ongoing campaign of "malicious hacking".

Security officials say the group "almost certainly" acts as part of the Russian intelligence services, and officials are confident the Kremlin has given the green light to its activities.

Three countries believe the Russian attacks were aimed at stealing intellectual property so that Moscow could develop a COVID-19 vaccine first, or at least simultaneously with the UK, US and Canada.

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