British lives ‘put at risk’ MPs warn after major US intelligence leak claims the UK has deployed 50 elite troops to Ukraine
- Leaked documents were dismissed by Ministry of Defence as being ‘inaccurate’
- Chair of defence select committee Tobias Ellwood said leak could endanger lives
British lives have been ‘put at risk’ after a major US intelligence leak, MPs have warned.
The leaked documents containing classified information about the military strength of US allies and adversaries claimed the UK had deployed 50 elite troops to Ukraine, which would make it the largest Nato contributor of special forces.
The documents, many of which are marked as top secret, were dismissed by the Ministry of Defence as containing a ‘serious level of inaccuracy’ when they first appeared on the social media.
Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the defence select committee, said the US leaks could ‘endanger lives’.
Despite saying it should come as no surprise the UK was doing much of the ‘heavy lifting’ when it comes to elite troops, he told The Times: ‘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.’
Britain has the largest contingent of special forces on Ukrainian soil, alongside more than a dozen operators each from fellow NATO states Latvia, France, the US, according to an allegedly leaked document
Ukrainian soldier aims a gun in a dugout in Ukraine in undated footage
Tobias Ellwood (pictured), who chairs the defence select committee, said the US leaks could ‘endanger lives’
Labour MP for Barnsley Central Dan Jarvis, who is a former special forces commander, said that the operations were ‘by necessity shrouded in secrecy’.
He added that the leak puts the military at a disadvantage and it may jeopardise ‘the security and effectiveness of those operations and could put lives at risk.’
The Ministry of Defence warned against taking allegations contained in the reported leak of classified information at ‘face value’, posting on Twitter: ‘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.’
A UK defence official said that a ‘significant proportion’ of the documents was ‘untrue, manipulated, or both’ and also told The Times: ‘We strongly caution against anybody taking the veracity of these claims at face value and would also advise them to take time to question the source and purpose of such leaks.’
Pentagon spokesman Chris Meagher agreed as he said these documents appear to have been doctored.
But US defence officials have been adamant a leak had taken place, with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin vowing to ‘investigate and turn over every rock until we find the source of this and the extent of it’.
Former head of the Royal Marines, Lt. Gen. Robert Magowan, confirmed in December that British commandos had already deployed twice to Ukraine in 2022 – first in January to evacuate the British Embassy in Kyiv, and again in April ‘to provide protection to critical personnel’.
Lt Gen Magowan said the personnel had served in Ukraine ‘with a high level of political and military risk’.
The leaked documents allegeldy show how US intelligence has been able to provide Kyiv with extensive details of planned Russian attacks, but also revealed that Ukraine’s air defences are almost exhausted.
Labour MP for Barnsley Central Dan Jarvis, who is a former special forces commander, said that the operations were ‘by necessity shrouded in secrecy’. He added that the leak puts the military at a disadvantage and it may jeopardise ‘the security and effectiveness of those operations and could put lives at risk’
Ukrainian service member, Naza, 21, commander from 28th mechanised brigade repositions his machine gun during a fire exchange at the frontline, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine in the region of Bakhmut, Ukraine, April 5, 2023
YouTuber wow_mao, who was thrust onto the international stage after classified Pentagon papers were leaked on a Discord server he hosts, has said that the ‘US government should fear these losers’
A Ukrainian soldier looks out a passing APC on the frontline in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, April 10, 2022
And one section titled ‘US/NATO SOF in UKR’ appeared to reveal the number of Western special forces present in Ukraine.
What is the encrypted app Discord?
Discord is a messaging service which is invite-only and encrypted – meaning data is concealed by being converted into code.
The platform can only be accessed with a log-in and password with chat groups known as ‘servers’ – of which many remain small and exclusive.
Any Discord user is able to start a server for free and invite their friends.
There are also larger, more open communities, which usually focus on specific topics such as popular games like Minecraft and Fortnite.
The app estimates it is being used worldwide by tens of millions aged 13+.
Britain has allegedly deployed 50 operators – the most of any Western nation – alongside 17 Latvian, 15 French, 14 American and a lone operator from the Netherlands.
But the documents did not shed light on where in Ukraine the operators have deployed, or in what capacity.
The sensitive material was first shared on an obscure online meme group run by a 20-year-old university student living in the UK on a part of the messaging app Discord.
The student, a self-professed ‘micro celebrity’ calling himself wow_mao, posted a video discussing the fallout onto YouTube and told a journalist it was ‘hilarious’.
He said a moderator on his Discord chat group called the End of Wow Mao Zone ‘shared 30 plus leaked documents concerning the Russia-Ukraine war’ on March 1 and one month later he was unwittingly at the centre of the scandal.
In an interview with the New York Times, wow_mao said he spent ‘little time’ on the Discord server and mostly focused on his YouTube channel where he has about 250,000 subscribers.
He declined to share his real name to the outlet but said he is British and Filipino and was living in the UK.
A probe was launched in the US on Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department as investigators are trying to quickly identify the source of the breach.
Typically, classified documents can only be printed using a secure process, which may make it easier for officials to find the source of the leak.
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