Polish book: British special forces are embedded with Ukrainian troops fighting Russia
A newly published Polish book authored by journalist Zbigniew Parafianowicz revealed that elite British special forces were
secretly deployed to the warzone with Ukrainian soldiers, without informing the U.K. Parliament.
Parafianowicz was the Ukraine correspondent for the Polish daily
Dziennik Gazeta Prawna (DGP). His book, "Polska na Wojnie" ("Poland at War"), examined Warsaw's role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
According to an article on
Declassified, an unnamed Polish government minister shared his experience to Parafianowicz when the official was traveling from Kyiv to Zhytomyr in March 2022.
"It was a time when the Russians were still standing in Bucha, and the route was a gray zone. It was possible to run into Russians. We passed the last checkpoint. The Ukrainians told us that we continue at our own risk." "Well, and who did we meet next? Ukrainian soldiers and … British special forces. Uniformed. With weapons," the official told Parafianowicz, adding that the British soldiers moved with the Ukrainians in trucks and off-road vehicles with artillery radars and that they were tracking targets. "They were learning about this war. Such radar tracks where mortar or rocket shells fall and are fired."
The U.K.'s
Ministry of Defense (MoD) has only confirmed that soldiers have been in Ukraine since the invasion to protect the British embassy. In mid-April 2022, the
Times reported that British special forces had trained local troops in Kyiv for the first time since
the war with Russia began. But the latest expose only proved that U.K. soldiers were embedded with the local troops and took part in an operation – not just in training. After a year,
Declassified revealed that
50 elite British troops were in Ukraine, citing a leaked U.S. intelligence file. The U.K. contingent was three times larger than any other ally. Among those who claimed to have been trained by U.K. special forces was Daniil Lyashuk, who had previously been convicted of torture by a Ukrainian court.
Parafianowicz mentioned in his book that the British and the Ukrainians worked together, driving around the countryside with artillery tracking radars, "learning about this war." According to him, the Polish official also said their special forces based in Lublin had been in the Kyiv suburb of Brovary on the first day of the hostilities. As per the author, Britain's Special Air Service (SAS) had trained President Vladimir Zelensky's security detail as well.
A high-ranking Polish officer also said these commandos did not return to Poland, but "went in the opposite direction" in areas controlled by Ukrainians. "They cooperated with the British," the officer claimed. "Later, we worked out a formula for our presence in Ukraine. We were simply sent on paid leave. Politicians pretended not to see this."
Parafianowicz's book also corroborated previous media reports about North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) commandos fighting alongside Ukrainian troops. In April 2022, the French daily paper
Le Figaro claimed that SAS and Delta Force operators had
waged a "secret war" on behalf of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's military operation. Last December, a British military publication admitted that up to 300 Royal Marines had been deployed to Ukraine for "discrete operations."
Poland and Ukraine now having a relationship crisis
Like the Americans and British, Poles had also been training the Ukrainian special forces since 2014. And ever since the war with Russia began in February 2022, Poland has been a staunch ally of its southeastern neighbor. However, reports claim that
cracks are beginning to show in this previously strong bond.
According to Polish Ukraine expert Krzysztof Nieczypor of the Center for Eastern Studies (OSW) in Warsaw, the view of Poland's role is becoming increasingly negative in Ukraine. He told news outlet
DW that based on his observations during his trip to Kyiv recently, Poland is being seen as skeptical about the accession of Ukraine to the European Union.
Nieczypor believes this negative view is due to the embargo on Ukrainian grain imposed by Poland's outgoing right-wing Law and Justice Party (PiS) government and the ongoing blockade of border crossings by Polish truckers. (Related:
As the EU's Ukraine grain ban ends, longtime ally Poland blasts Zelensky for trying to flood Europe with cheap grain and produce, driving farmers out of business.)
Also, Nieczypor thinks the situation at the border between the two countries is seen in a negative light because the Polish transport companies' protests are blocking the transportation of all goods, including fuels, which are of huge importance during war.
UkraineWitness.com has more stories about Ukraine.
Watch the video below that talks about NATO cutting off weapons supply to Ukraine as
Poland accuses Kyiv of committing Nazi war crimes.
This video is from the
InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.
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Sources include:
RT.com
DeclassifiedUK.org
DW.com
Brighteon.com