Special forces (not pictured) are said to be on the ground training Ukrainian soldiers (Photo: AP / Reuters)
British Special Forces soldiers are reported to be on the scene in Ukraine, training soldiers.
SAS officials have worked with local fighters around Kyiv for the first time since the conflict began, according to The Times.
The unverified report comes a day after Moscow’s main propaganda station said World War III had already begun and Russia was at war with NATO.
The United Kingdom has played a key role in equipping forces fighting to repel the Kremlin’s invasion, especially with next-generation light anti-tank weapons (NLAW).
Ukrainian forces inflicted heavy damage on Russian convoys using shoulder-mounted missiles.
Military instructors were initially withdrawn from Ukraine when the February invasion began over fears that direct clashes with Russian forces could escalate the conflict.
Now officers from separate battalions claim that SAS soldiers are in Ukraine and are training recruits on how to work with weapons.
The Ministry of Defense did not confirm or deny the newspaper’s report.
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Ukrainian troops retrieve Russian tanks using modern missiles delivered from the United Kingdom (Photo: AP)
One commander said the British were “good boys” and “invited us to visit them when the war was over.”
Captain Yuri Mironenko told The Times that UK military instructors familiar with NLAW were not initially available, so soldiers “had to go to Youtube to study on their own”, adding that it was possible to study in “five to seven minutes”.
He added: “After that we had a good preparation. The British officers were here two weeks ago in our unit and trained us really well.
“And because we’ve had success, we now have confidence.”
Boris Johnson, who visited Kyiv earlier this week, is eager to increase the amount of weapons sent to Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense is developing and implementing plans for sending armored vehicles and anti-ship missiles.
The latter could be speeded up after Ukrainians say they have sunk Moscow, the largest warship in the Black Sea Fleet lurking on the country’s southern coast.
Sweden, Finland seem ready to join NATO, boosting alliance footprint on Russia’s border (Photo: Metro)
It is unclear how many of the 500-member crew were killed in the crash, and Russia continues to insist it fell due to an accidental fire, despite bombings in Kyiv and elsewhere in retaliation.
The Washington Post reported that Moscow had sent a diplomatic note to the United States warning of “unpredictable consequences” unless Washington cut off arms supplies to Ukraine earlier this week.
Western governments have drawn a thin line between supporting Ukraine and imposing sanctions on Russia, while avoiding direct confrontation with nuclear energy.
But as for Russia 1, a Kremlin-backed Kremlin-backed television mouthpiece, the country is already embroiled in a war with NATO.
MORE: More air strikes shook Kyiv after allegations that “Moscow’s entire crew died in the sinking”
Olga Skabeeva, one of Vladimir Putin’s leading propagandists, told viewers that Western support for Ukraine was tantamount to a direct conflict with Russia, saying: “What is escalating can easily be called World War III. This is completely safe.
“We are definitely fighting against NATO’s infrastructure now, if not against NATO itself. We have to admit that.
The Kremlin has also reacted fiercely to news that Finland and Sweden intend to join the military alliance.
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