Leaked documents show NATO forces on the ground in Ukraine war
The UK, France, the US and other NATO countries have special forces operating in Ukraine, according to just one of the dozens of documents leaked online.
The US is investigating how the documents were leaked and have opened a criminal investigation.
“We will continue to investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
The leaked documents, some marked “top secret”, contain sensitive information about the Ukraine war, including plans for Ukraine’s spring counter-offensive.
Whilst the documents do not say where the special forces are located or what they are doing, they do show the UK has the largest contingent of special forces in Ukraine (50), followed by Latvia (17), France (15), the US (14), and the Netherlands (1).
Whilst it is only a small number of special forces on the ground, these teams are usually highly effective.
Russia will likely seize on the information leaked, as Moscow has argued for a long time that it is battling Nato as well as Ukraine.
The UK is the second largest donor to Ukraine, after the US, of military aid.
The Ministry of Defence has not commented on the leaked documents.