LONDON, March 19. /TASS/. The UK Special Forces have been put on high alert in case of a possible deployment to Ukraine as part of the so-called peacekeeping military contingent, the i newspaper (part of the Daily Mail and General Trust media group) reported, citing sources.
According to the newspaper, the UK military planners last week issued instructions on the need to prepare for a potential deployment to Ukraine, including checking the serviceability of military equipment.
Earlier, UK media reported that several dozen officers are already in Ukraine, where they are providing security for the embassy in Kiev. According to the i newspaper, the UK Special Forces are usually not involved in peacekeeping operations.
On March 20, London will host a meeting of military commanders from the "coalition of the willing" countries to discuss operational details of sending troops to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that the presence of NATO troops under any flag and in any capacity on Ukrainian soil is a threat to Russia. According to him, Moscow will not accept this under any circumstances.