British Special Forces Reportedly on Standby for Ukraine Deployment

British Special Forces personnel reportedly received orders to be on standby for deployment to Ukraine for a peacekeeping mission.

Military planners, under the Cabinet Office’s direction, reportedly instructed Special Forces units to prepare for mobilization to Ukraine, iNews reported on Tuesday, citing “two military sources with knowledge of the directive.” 

iNews added that the command center for UK military planning, the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), received directives last week to ready personnel and resources for deployment, including Special Forces reservists.

The UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment on the reports, citing a “longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on Special Forces activity.”

Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of the information.

Citing expert comments, iNews speculates that London favored Special Forces to spearhead a peacekeeping mission because they can be deployed rapidly, without the need for approval from the House of Commons.

The publication did not specify which Special Forces branches the directives were applied to. 

The rumors came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer rallied for troop deployments to Ukraine to enforce a peace deal via a “coalition of the willing” – nations open to deploying troops to Ukraine. The coalition is set to meet on Thursday in London to discuss collective effort for Ukraine.

Other Topics of Interest

Prisoner Swap Promised Following Trump-Putin Call Goes Ahead

Ukraine secured the return of 175 of its POWs, including 22 outside of exchanges, as part of a prisoner swap following “the call.”

Britain and France have already committed to sending troops to Ukraine to help guarantee a peace deal, but only under a 30-day ceasefire.

However, Starmer also stated on March 15 that ceasefire monitoring would rely on satellite surveillance initially, rather than immediate troop deployment, putting reports of special forces deployments in question.

US President Donald Trump previously said he is open to European peacekeepers in Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly opposed the idea.