• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Venezuela oil minister to U.S. companies: ‘It's an entire world waiting to be discovered’

2

Current price of oil as of August 20, 2026

3

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion threat that could mean ‘turning in the keys and walking away’—but the stakes of the case reach across tech

1

Venezuela oil minister to U.S. companies: ‘It's an entire world waiting to be discovered’

2

Current price of oil as of August 20, 2026

3

Meta faces a $1.4 trillion threat that could mean ‘turning in the keys and walking away’—but the stakes of the case reach across tech
PoliticsUkraine invasion

The U.S. is one of several Western countries with military special forces on the ground in Ukraine, leaked documents show

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 12, 2023, 11:08 AM ET
Ukrainian troop rides a tank in Donbas, June 2022. Leaked documents reportedly show the U.S. and NATO allies have special forces in the country.
Ukrainian troop rides a tank in Donbas, June 2022. Leaked documents reportedly show the U.S. and NATO allies have special forces in the country.Anatolii Stepanov—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

America and other Western nations have special forces operating on the ground in Ukraine, according to recently leaked classified documents.

The BBC reported on Wednesday that among dozens of those files—some of which were marked “top secret”—was a revelation that the U.S. had 14 special operatives in the war-torn country.

Fellow NATO member states Latvia, France, and the Netherlands had 17, 15, and one special operative in Ukraine respectively, according to the report. The U.K. had the largest contingent of special forces in the country, the BBC reported, with 50 troops on the ground.

The file cited by the BBC was one of several apparent U.S. military documents containing NATO information about Ukraine which were leaked at the end of last week.

The U.S. Special Forces, an elite division of the military, are deployed in various types of missions, including counterinsurgency and foreign internal defense.

According to the BBC, documents did not say where NATO forces were located in Ukraine, or what they were doing there.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday that American forces were indeed operating in Ukraine.

“I won’t talk to the specifics of numbers and that kind of thing,” he said. “But…there is a small U.S. military presence at the embassy in conjunction with the Defense Attaché’s Office to help us work on accountability of the material that is going in and out of Ukraine. So they’re attached to that embassy and to that…defense attaché.”

A spokesperson for the Pentagon referred Fortune to Tuesday’s statement on the leak, which suggested many of the documents circulating online were legitimate, when asked for a comment on the BBC’s report.

“We’re still investigating how this happened, as well as the scope of the issue,” Chris Meagher, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, said at the time. “There have been steps to take a closer look at how this type of information is distributed and to whom. We’re also still trying to assess what might be out there.”

However, he did note that some of the images being shared on social media appeared to have been altered.

In a statement published on Twitter Tuesday, Britain’s Ministry of Defence urged those reading any supposed leaked documents to exercise caution about “taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread disinformation.”

The U.K. MoD referred Fortune to this statement when asked about the BBC’s report.

Spokespeople for the Latvian and Dutch governments were not immediately available for comment when contacted by Fortune.

France has denied the presence of French soldiers in Ukraine, French news outlet Le Monde reported over the weekend.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously accused NATO—whose member countries have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and other military equipment—of participating in the conflict.

NATO has long been a point of contention for Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has demanded that the country never be permitted to join the military alliance.

However, the war in Ukraine has actually triggered eastward expansion of NATO, with Finland—which shares a border with Russia—joining the coalition last week in a bid to strengthen its defenses. The Kremlin labeled the move a “violation of our security and our national interests.”

Fortune Daily breaks the traditional barrier between audience and newsroom. The show transforms Fortune’s trusted reporting into actionable, conversational, and entertaining insights for an emerging class of business leaders. Watch here.
About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Politics

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Politics

    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025

    Most Popular

    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025
    Finance
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
    By Fortune Editors
    October 20, 2025

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.