Alleged leaked documents suggest UK special forces have operated in Ukraine

Claims that UK special forces have operated in Ukraine have been widely reported after allegedly leaked documents were published online.

Ukrainian servicemen inspect remains of destroyed armored vehicles at former position of Russian troops in the north of Kharkiv region on April 11, 2023. Claims that UK special forces have operated in Ukraine have been widely reported after allegedly leaked documents were published online.

The Ministry of Defence warned against taking allegations contained in the reported leak of US classified information at “face value”.

A spokesperson said in a message posted on Twitter: “The widely reported leak of alleged classified US information has demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy.

“Readers should be cautious about taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation.”

Media outlets including the BBC and The Guardian reported that a document, dated March 23, indicates as many as 50 UK special forces personnel have been deployed to the country alongside other western special forces.

But the document reportedly does not state where the allegedly deployed forces are located or what they are doing.

Chris Meagher, a spokesman for the Pentagon, has urged caution in “promoting or amplifying any of these documents”, adding that “it does appear that slides have been doctored”.

The documents may first have been published in a chatroom on Discord, a social media platform popular with gamers, Associated Press reported.

According to one member of the chat, an unidentified poster shared documents that were allegedly classified, first typing them out with the poster’s own thoughts, then, as of a few months ago, beginning to post images of papers with folds in them.

The posts appear to have gone unnoticed outside of the chat until a few weeks ago, when they began to circulate more widely on social media.

Associated Press could not independently confirm many details shared by the person, and the original chatroom has been deleted.

Asked on Monday if the US Government was effectively waiting for more intelligence documents to show up online, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby replied: “The truth and the honest answer to your question is: We don’t know. And is that a matter of concern to us? You’re darn right it is.”

The latest MoD update warned that Russia has continued to develop extensive linear defences in Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southern Ukraine with Russia now completing three layers of defensive zones across approximately 120km.