Top-secret British military documents found left in 'soggy heap' at a bus stop, report says

The British Royal Navy destroyer HMS Defender arrives in the Black Sea port of Batumi on June 26, 2021. — HMS Defender.
Seyran Baroyan/AFP via Getty Images

Classified military plans were found behind a bus stop in Kent, England last week, the BBC reported.
A member of the public who found the papers sent them in after realizing their sensitive nature.
The documents are said to include plans for a possible UK military presence in Afghanistan.
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An anonymous member of the public found top-secret military documents behind a bus stop in the British county of Kent last week, according to the BBC.

The documents, which included almost 50 pages of emails and PowerPoint presentations, were found in a "soggy heap," the BBC reported.

One set of the documents is said to include plans for a possible UK military presence in Afghanistan.

Other papers in the trove examine the possible Russian reaction to the British Royal Navy ship HMS Defender, which sparked a diplomatic row after sailing through Ukrainian waters off the Crimea coast on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Defence told the BBC that a senior employee had reported the documents missing last week.

"The department takes the security of information extremely seriously and an investigation has been launched," a spokesperson for the department added, according to Sky News.

On Wednesday, HMS Defender sailed close to the Crimean coast in the Black Sea. In response, Russia sent more than 20 aircraft and two coastguard ships to shadow the warship.

British government officials say the move was in accordance with international law, but Russia claims it violated its borders. The UK recognizes the occupation of Crimea as illegal.

The British Ministry of Defence was involved in another security gaffe earlier this month when an email containing the promotions of noncommissioned officers, including members of the special forces' SAS's E Squadron, was accidentally distributed across the government.

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