One doc reveals virtually 100 personnel, half of them British, deployed within the nation
One in every of labeled US navy paperwork that has made its method on-line reveals the presence of 97 NATO particular forces operators in Ukraine as of March 1, 2023, of which 50 had been British, a number of UK shops reported on Tuesday.
The Guardian mentioned it had seen two recordsdata, dated late February and early March, that listed 50 British particular operatives as being lively in Ukraine. The US had 14 particular operatives within the nation, and France one other 15.
The paperwork had been labeled “secret” and had been ready for senior US protection officers, based on the outlet. The day by day updates contained details about NATO navy operations, logistics, weapons deliveries and coaching of Ukrainian troops.
One other UK outlet, Declassified, famous that the 14 US particular operators had been among the many 29 Pentagon personnel current in Ukraine, which included the Marine safety detachment on the US embassy in Kiev and navy attaches. One other 71 State Division personnel had been within the nation as properly, amounting to a complete of 100 Individuals.
Declassified additionally famous that the slide was marked “not releasable to international nationals.”
Whereas US particular operators come from two items, Navy SEALs and the Military’s Delta Drive, the British definition extends past the Particular Air Service (SAS) to paratroopers, marines, and different items. The prime minister isn’t obligated to temporary the Parliament on their deployment.
Dozens of labeled US navy paperwork have been found on-line over the previous week, attracting appreciable media consideration. The US authorities has not formally confirmed their authenticity, however the Pentagon has launched a hunt for whoever leaked them, and the Division of Justice is conducting a felony investigation as properly. Russia and Ukraine have largely shrugged off the paperwork as irrelevant.
Whereas Washington and London have by no means formally confirmed the presence of their particular forces in Ukraine, a number of media shops have reported on it over the previous yr. In April 2022, the French day by day Le Figaro claimed that SAS and Delta Drive operators had been current for the reason that starting of Russia’s navy operation, waging a “secret battle” on behalf of Ukraine.
The British Each day Mirror reported that dozens of “retired” SAS operators had gone to Ukraine to contribute their experience to Kiev’s trigger, funded by means of a personal navy firm in an unnamed European nation. Shortly after these revelations, the Instances mentioned a variety of SAS operators had “returned” to Ukraine to show Kiev’s troopers the best way to function British-made anti-tank rockets.
The outlet Grayzone reported in November that British particular operators had been working by means of a personal firm known as Prevail Companions to coach Ukrainian saboteurs concentrating on Crimea. In December, a British navy publication admitted that as much as 300 Royal Marines had been deployed to Ukraine for “discrete operations.”
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