By Paul Adams, George Wright, BBC News
image provided, Getty Images
Ukrainian soldiers heading to the front line in Irpin, Ukraine, in 2022.
A number of countries, including the United Kingdom, have deployed military special forces in Ukraine in response to alleged leaks of classified Pentagon documents related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, some documents show.
The leaked documents confirm Western involvement in what has been quietly speculated for more than a year over the invasion of Ukraine.
Some of these documents are marked as “Top Secret”. It details the war in Ukraine, including secrets about Ukrainian preparations for the spring counteroffensive.
The U.S. government says it is investigating the source of the leak.
western special forces
According to a document dated March 23, Britain has the largest number of special forces in Ukraine with 50, followed by Latvia, another NATO member, with 17, France with 15, and France with 15. 14 Americans and 1 Dutch.
The document does not say where the troops are and what they do.
The actual number of people dispatched may be lower than this, and it certainly seems to fluctuate. Special forces are by their very nature very effective. Their presence will be known to the Russian government, which claims that it has been confronting NATO as well as Ukraine in recent months.
In accordance with standard policy on such matters, the Ministry of Defence declined to comment.However, the ministry said on Monday that leaks of classified information showed a “significant level of inaccuracy”.Tweetbottom.
“Readers should be wary of taking claims that may spread misinformation at face value.”
The ministry did not specify which documents it specifically referred to. A Pentagon official, meanwhile, said the leaked documents were genuine, according to media reports.
A document, which lists Ukrainian and Russian casualties in Ukraine, appears to have been tampered with.
british special forces
The British Special Forces consists of several elite units with different specialties, and is said to have world-class capabilities.
The British government has a policy of not commenting on its own special forces, in contrast to the United States and others.
The UK has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine, providing the second largest military aid after the US.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that the Justice Department had opened a criminal investigation into the leaked documents. He said he was determined to find out what caused the information leak.
“We will continue to investigate and exhaust all available means until we identify the source and extent of the leak.”
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