Royal Marines had been deployed in Ukraine and took half in a collection of ‘high-risk’ operations, a former commandant normal has claimed.
The commandos had been concerned in ‘discreet operations’ and carried out duties in a ‘vastly delicate atmosphere’, in response to Lieutenant Basic Robert Magowan – Britain’s Deputy Chief of the Defence Employees and the previous head of the Royal Marines.
The Ministry of Defence reported earlier this yr {that a} small contingent of British navy personnel had been stationed in Ukraine to safe the British embassy in Kyiv and preserve the federal government’s diplomatic presence there.
However Lt. Gen. Magowan’s admission is the primary time a senior navy official has confirmed that British marines had been deployed to Ukraine within the face of the Russian invasion.
The commandos had been concerned in ‘discreet operations’ and carried out duties in a ‘vastly delicate atmosphere’, in response to Lieutenant Basic Robert Magowan
Pictured: Royal Marines on Train Chilly Response in North Norway coaching in excessive chilly situations while exercising boat drills throughout the fjords of Norway
In feedback printed within the Globe and Laurel – the official journal of the Royal Marines – Lt. Magowan stated: ‘In January this yr, 45 Commando Group deployed at brief discover — from the depths of a darkish, north Norwegian winter, to evacuate the British embassy in Kyiv to Poland. The go-to 999 worldwide emergency power, if you’ll.
‘Then in April, they returned into the nation to re-establish the diplomatic mission, offering safety to essential personnel. Throughout each phases, the commandos supported different discreet operations in a vastly delicate atmosphere and with a excessive stage of political and navy threat.’
A Royal Navy Spokesperson informed MailOnline: ‘Royal Marines had been deployed to Ukraine to help the UK’s diplomatic presence within the nation; they served no fight perform.’
Lt. Magowan stated: ‘In January this yr, 45 Commando Group deployed at brief discover — from the depths of a darkish, north Norwegian winter, to evacuate the British embassy in Kyiv (pictured) to Poland’
Royal Marines are pictured performing fight drills within the north of Norway
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is pictured on the British Embassy in Kyiv, Sept. 2022
Previous to the Russian invasion on February 24, British defence minister Ben Wallace stated {that a} small contingent of navy personnel had been to Ukraine to ship weapons and coaching as the specter of struggle elevated.
And it was later reported that British navy personnel, together with SAS operators, had been despatched to ship weapons techniques coaching to Ukrainian servicemen as soon as the struggle had begun.
However the MoD on the time insisted no British servicemen had been concerned in fight operations, stating: ‘British navy personnel have been deployed to help discussions across the vital coaching being supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by the UK.
‘They serve no fight perform.’
The marines in March returned to Norway the place they took half within the largest NATO navy train for the reason that Nineteen Eighties
The Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron (SRS) is pictured deploying Inflatable Raiding Crafts from a submarine at Lyngan Fjord in Northern Norway
The 45 Commando group are specialists in Arctic warfare and had been deployed on a coaching train in Norway earlier than being requisitioned and deployed to Ukraine to carry out speedy evacuations of embassy employees.
Evacuations of key officers and diplomats befell from Kyiv befell simply previous to Russia’s invasion.
The marines then in March returned to Norway the place they took half within the largest NATO navy train for the reason that Nineteen Eighties.
Roughly 30,000 troops from 28 international locations in Europe and North America had been concerned within the Chilly Response 2022 drills.
The drills aimed to indicate how a unified multilateral power would defend Norway and Europe’s northern flank from a contemporary adversary.
However Magowan’s admission suggests a number of marines then returned to Kyiv only one month after the workouts to conduct covert operations amid the struggle in Ukraine.
