As the war in Ukraine drags on, 15 months after Russian forces launched their special military operation, the differing approaches of Zelensky’s two main sponsors – the United States and his main ally the United Kingdom – are more pronounced.
This dissonant approach is gaining visibility as reports point to dozens of British special forces “advisers” wielding increasing influence on the ground in Ukraine.
THE the wall street journal reported:
“The UK and the US are great allies, but on Ukraine there is a simmering disagreement. The British would like the Americans to be more aggressive, and the United States wants the United Kingdom to be more cautious.
[…….] British Special Forces from the British Army’s SAS and SRR regiments and Navy SBS units operate very close to the front lines in Ukraine. These personnel serve as key interlocutors between NATO intelligence efforts and Ukrainian forces.
[…] They do not fight, but their directing influence on the activity of Ukrainian special forces is evident in the sabotage operations Ukraine has carried out against Russian railways, airfield, fuel and other logistics nodes .
Last month, Pentagon leaks said the UK had deployed up to 50 special forces in Ukraine. It is “more than half of Western special forces personnel present in Ukraine between February and March of this year”.
The Guardian reported:
“It is not known in what activities the special forces may have been engaged or if the manpower has been maintained at this level.
The UK’s elite military forces, whose activities are normally shrouded in secrecy, include several units, including the Special Air Service (SAS).
[…] According to records, US officials estimated at the time that of the 97 special forces from NATO countries active in Ukraine, 50 were British. This is considerably higher than the number of the United States and France, which would have deployed 14 and 15 special forces respectively.