The head of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee has warned that Russia’s Wagner militia would “love” to track down British special forces in Ukraine if leaked US intelligence documents prove accurate.
Rutland and Melton MP Alicia Cairns said that if British intelligence officials were among the group in Ukraine, they would be a “high value target” for the mercenary group.
The chairman of the committee was dealing with supposedly leaked documents containing classified information about the military power of allies the United Kingdom, the United States and NATO. The document alleged that the United Kingdom had deployed 50 elite Special Forces troops to Ukraine, and 14 from the United States.
But the documents, which have been designated top secret, were rejected by the Department of Defense and said they contained a “serious level of inaccuracy” when they first appeared on social media.
Cairns said it would be very worrying if the leak was real because it would put Western assets around the world at risk.
A British member of parliament said that the Russian Wagner militia “loves” to track down British special forces in Ukraine. In the photo: Wagner Group President Yevgeny Prigozhin, March 3, 2023
Alicia Cairns said that if the group’s British intelligence officials were in Ukraine, they would be a “high value target” for the mercenary group.
Ukrainian soldiers fire an artillery shell near the front line area amid the Russo-Ukrainian war, in Pakhmut, Ukraine April 02, 2023
Talking to Radio Times“If this proves to be a serious and genuine leak, it would be concerning because what it does do is it puts assets of the United States, allies and the United Kingdom at risk around the world, particularly those working to save the lives of Ukrainians,” Kearns said Thursday. “.
There is no doubt that Wagner’s militia, the Russian government, would like to try to track down the British Special Forces. And by signaling their presence in Ukraine, they will become a highly valued target by the Russians. And if there are British special forces there, we obviously don’t want to target them.
While the Wagner Group has become somewhat depleted in recent months, it has become synonymous with brutality and ruthlessness, with Kearns warning of the safety of Western assets.
“It really puts those on the ground at risk, if there is any, but it also puts at risk, if subtle, the vast access that clearly exists within the Russian defense system.”
Neither the UK Ministry of Defense nor the Pentagon has confirmed the authenticity of the documents, which began appearing on social media earlier this year.
A British defense official said: “A large proportion of the content of these reports is incorrect or manipulated or both.”
“We strongly caution anyone who takes these claims at face value and also advise that they take the time to question the source and purpose of these leaks.”
While the CIA director has yet to confirm the authenticity of the documents, William Burns said the leaks were “extremely unfortunate” as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed to “hand over every rock” to find the culprit.
According to the leaked documents, Britain has the largest group of special forces on Ukrainian soil. There are reportedly dozens of operators each from fellow NATO countries Latvia, France and the United States
A Ukrainian service member repositions his machine gun during a shootout on the front line, amid a Russian offensive into Ukraine in Pakhmut region, Ukraine, April 5, 2023
Tobias Ellwood (left) said US leaks could “endanger lives”, with Dan Jarvis (right) saying any potential operations are “necessarily shrouded in secrecy”
Cairns’ comments come after the chairman of the defense committee, Tobias Ellwood, said the leaks could “endanger lives”.
He said it would not be surprising for British intelligence to do a lot of the “heavy lifting” when it comes to the elite forces, but he stressed the danger that could arise from the leaks.
“This deliberate, large-scale disclosure of sensitive material could easily put lives at risk and should prompt an urgent review of who has access to sensitive information and how it is shared,” Elwood told The Times.
Dan Jarvis, of the Labor Party, also shared his opinion, saying any potential operations were “necessarily shrouded in secrecy”.
He added that the leak put the British army at a disadvantage and could jeopardize “the security and effectiveness of those operations and may endanger lives.”
The former head of the Royal Marines, Lieutenant-General Robert Magowan, confirmed in December that British commandos had already been deployed twice to Ukraine in 2022 – first in January to evacuate the British Embassy in Kiev, and again in April to provide protection for critical cases. Personnel Affairs’.
Lieutenant General Magowan said the personnel served in Ukraine with “a high degree of political and military risk”.
The leaked documents show how US intelligence was able to provide Kiev with comprehensive details of planned Russian attacks, but also reveal that Ukraine’s air defenses are nearly exhausted.
Since then, the FBI and the Department of Justice have launched an investigation to quickly determine the source of the hack.
