UK Marines Conducted Covert Ops in Ukraine, General Claims

The British Royal Marines have carried out high-risk special operations on the ground in Ukraine, according to the former head of the elite unit, who said UK commandos have been deployed to the country on more than one occasion this year.

Writing in the Royal Navy’s official magazine, the Globe and Laurel, Lieutenant General Robert Magowan said some 350 Marines were sent to Ukraine for two missions since January, starting with an operation to help relocate UK diplomatic staff to Poland just ahead of Russia’s invasion.

The second occurred in April, soon after Moscow’s withdrawal from the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital, according to Magowan, who was once the commandant general of the Royal Marines and now serves as a senior official under the Chief of the Defense Staff. 

“In April, they returned into the country to re-establish the diplomatic mission, providing protection to critical personnel,” the general said. “During both phases, the commandos supported other discreet operations in a hugely sensitive environment and with a high level of political and military risk.”