US general aiding Ukraine left secret map on train — and got concussion after drunken night out
WASHINGTON — A US Army general overseeing military support to Ukraine mishandled classified materials and suffered serious consequences during overseas travel, according to a new report from the Department of Defense inspector general.
Maj. Gen. Antonio Aguto, who led the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine in Germany from December 2022 to August 2024, left highly sensitive maps on a train in Poland on April 4, 2024. The maps, which are critical for briefing officials on Ukraine’s military situation, were later recovered when the train returned to Kyiv.
The inspector general’s 56-page report described the incident as a major lapse in security. Aguto had placed the maps in an unsecured cylindrical tube because the documents were too large for the tube available. Investigators noted this violated protocol and a July 2022 directive from US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, which stated that only diplomatic couriers could transport classified material into the country.
Brink told investigators that Aguto “had to abide by our security rules, which includes a particular way of handling classified material.” Another military official added that the maps should have been transported through official couriers or embassy channels. Aguto accepted responsibility but noted that his staff typically handled his luggage and personal items.
The report also details concerns about Aguto’s conduct in May 2024. During a dinner with a Ukrainian military official, he consumed a substantial amount of chacha, a strong Eastern European brandy, and appeared intoxicated at a meeting the following day with Ambassador Brink and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Witnesses described him as sluggish and struggling to walk, and he suffered two falls—one at his hotel and another outside the US Embassy—resulting in a concussion.
Aguto later retired from the military after leaving his command at the Security Assistance Group.
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