LEAKED US intelligence documents about UK forces in Ukraine are riddled with “inaccuracies”, ministers warned today.
It comes as MPs raised serious concerns the classified documents could put British lives at risk.
Leaked US intelligence documents say the UK has deployed 50 soldiers to join the war effort in Ukraine
Policing Minister Chris Philp urged the public against “relying too much” on top secret information contained in a leak of US intelligence on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Philp said: “Defence officials have cautioned that quite a lot of the information that has been released they feel is inaccurate. People should not rely on it too much.
“Clearly, I think the US government themselves have said they find this extremely unhelpful.”
The secret files are believed to have first been published in on a social media site popular with gamers.
The papers detail as many as 50 UK special forces personnel have been secretly deployed to Ukraine – the largest of any Nato member state.
They also show the US has been spying on Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
And Washington is concerned UN chief Antonio Gutteres has been too accommodating of Russian interests.
The leaks summarised the training schedules of 12 Ukraine combat brigades, and said nine of them were being trained by US and NATO forces, and needed 250 tanks and more than 350 mechanized vehicles.
Information in the documents also details expenditure rates for munitions under Ukraine military control, including for the HIMARS rocket systems, the US-made artillery rocket systems that have proven highly effective against Russian forces.
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “The widely reported leak of alleged classified US information has demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy.
“Readers should be cautious about taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation.”
Chris Meagher, a spokesman for the Pentagon, urged caution in “promoting or amplifying any of these documents”.
He added that “it does appear that slides have been doctored”.
Last night Defence Committee Chairman Tobias Ellwood warned the papers could “endanger British lives”.
He told The Times: “Given our long-established lead in scale and capability when it comes to elite forces it will come as no surprise that our special forces are doing much of the heavy lifting.
“But this deliberate large-scale disclosure of sensitive material could easily endanger lives and should prompt an urgent review about who has access to sensitive information and how it is shared.”
Did you miss our previous article…
https://hellofaread.com/politics/snp-to-drag-rishi-sunak-into-court-in-bid-to-force-through-controversial-gender-laws/
