The BBC and The Guardian write that almost 100 special forces from NATO countries will be in Ukraine. Britain is the country that will have the most with 50 special forces, according to the leak. Latvia will have 17, France 15, the USA 14 and the Netherlands 1. The British will have the most special forces in Ukraine, according to the Pentagon documents. The picture shows one during an exercise in Basra, Iraq, 22 December 2004. Photo: NABIL AL-JURANI / AP Confirms training The information is dated 23 March. It is not clear from the document what kind of role the special forces have or have had. Nor exactly where in Ukraine they are. British authorities have not directly commented on the allegation of special forces. They say there is a “significant degree of inaccuracy” in the leaked document. – Readers should be careful in believing claims that can spread disinformation, writes the Ministry of Defence. The British Embassy in Kyiv confirms that there are British soldiers in Ukraine training Ukrainian forces. “Blood-trimmed” for difficult operations Lieutenant-Colonel Palle Ydstebø is head of the section for land forces at the Norwegian Military Academy. He tells news that special forces are elite forces at the highest level. – Special soldiers are “blood-trimmed” to take on missions that require a mixture of extreme competence and discretion, says Ydstebø. Lieutenant Colonel Palle Ydstebø Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB BBC writes that it is common for special forces to operate in very small, efficient units. The BBC recalls that in recent weeks Moscow has claimed that Russian forces are not only fighting against Ukrainians, but also against NATO inside Ukraine. They write that with the view of Moscow as a backdrop, the Russian authorities will probably try to exploit the leak. Ydstebø is not sure that Russia will do it. – It depends on how Russia chooses to play out the information the leaked documents show. They can make a case out of it, or they can choose to just ignore it. The news agency Reuters refers to the Russian authorities who say that they “knew that military instructors from NATO countries are on a mission in Ukraine”. – Common to stay directly informed – It is quite common for major powers that have interests in a conflict, without directly participating themselves, to have various observers to keep themselves directly informed. Ydstebø reminds that this of course takes place in accordance with the Ukrainian authorities. There are to be 50 British special forces into Ukraine. The picture shows British special forces on an exercise in Basra, Iraq, 22 December 2004. Photo: NABIL AL-JURANI / AP The head of the section for land forces at the War College believes that it is logical that British soldiers are in Ukraine to give Ukrainian forces training, as the British Embassy in Kyiv reports. – The fact that special forces are used to train Ukrainian soldiers is a completely normal mission for that type of soldier, especially in a war zone like we see here. Pentagon investigator Chris Meagher from the US Department of Defense says that the many leaks in recent days pose a serious danger to US national security. The leaks can contribute to the spread of disinformation, write the news agencies Reuters and AFP. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin has started an investigation into the leaks. Photo: ANNA MONEYMAKER / AFP Defense Minister Lloyd Austin has informed allied governments about the leaks. Both the Pentagon and the US Department of Justice have started an investigation into the document leaks. A committee must assess the extent of the damage. According to the Minister of Defence, he is in the process of getting an overview of who has access to the type of documents that have been leaked. Spokesman for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, says they fear that there may be more leaks. – We do not know who is behind this, and we do not know what the motive is.
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Claims special forces from NATO countries inside Ukraine – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
