The UK is one of several countries with military special forces operating in Ukraine, according to one of dozens of documents released online.
It confirms what has been a quiet speculative subject for more than a year.
The leaked files, some of which are marked “top secret,” paint a detailed account of the war in Ukraine, including details of how Ukraine was preparing for a spring counteroffensive.
The US government says it is investigating the source of the emissions.
According to the document As of March 23, the United Kingdom has the largest contingent of special forces in Ukraine (50), followed by NATO states Latvia (17), France (15), the US (14) and the Netherlands (1).
The document does not say where the forces are or what they are doing.
Staff numbers may be small, and will undoubtedly fluctuate. But special forces are very effective in nature. Their presence in Ukraine may be controlled by Moscow, which in recent months has been defending not only Ukraine, but NATO as well.
In keeping with standard policy on such matters, the UK Ministry of Defense did not comment, however on Twitter He said on Tuesday that the release of classified information revealed what he called a “serious level of wrongdoing”.
“Readers should be cautious about facing allegations that have the potential to spread misinformation,” he said.
He did not explain or indicate which specific documents he was referring to. However, Pentagon officials have stated that the documents are genuine.
A document listing the number of casualties in Ukraine on both sides appears to have been doctored.
The United Kingdom’s special forces are made up of several elite military units with different areas of expertise, and are considered to be among the most capable in the world.
The British government, unlike other countries, including the US, has a policy of commenting on its special forces.
The UK has been providing aid to Ukraine, and is the second largest donor of military aid to Kiev after the US.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation and is committed to finding the source of the distribution.
“We’ll turn over every rock until we find the source and size of it.”