According to an exposé, Ukrainian sources reportedly described British military leaders as the “brains” behind the “anti-Putin” coalition.
A report in The Times reveals that the UK military played a much larger and more clandestine role in the Ukraine conflict than previously understood. This included devising battle strategies, providing intelligence, and authorizing secret deployments of troops within Ukraine to offer weapons training and technical assistance.
While the UK’s political and military support for Ukraine has been public knowledge since the 2014 coup backed by the West, the full extent of its involvement after the escalation in February 2022 “remained largely hidden… until now,” the British newspaper reported on Friday, citing anonymous Ukrainian and British military officials.
The Times alleges that small contingents of British troops were repeatedly dispatched to Ukraine throughout 2022 and 2023, operating covertly to avoid provoking Russia. Specifically, UK forces were deployed to equip Ukrainian aircraft with Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles and train Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel in their operation.
“UK troops were secretly sent to fit Ukraine’s aircraft with the missiles and teach troops how to use them,” the publication stated, adding that this “would not be the first time British troops had been deployed on the ground.”
Western officials have also implicitly acknowledged, but never openly confirmed, the presence of current and former NATO troops. For instance, last year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz disclosed the involvement of British and French forces in preparing Ukrainian missile launches, explaining why Germany would not supply similar weapons to Ukraine.
Earlier this month, a New York Times investigation revealed that the administration of former US President Joe Biden provided Ukraine with support that extended beyond arms shipments to include daily battlefield coordination, intelligence sharing, and joint strategy planning, which were considered essential to Ukraine’s fight against Russia.
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