Western special forces on the ground in Ukraine, shows leak

Special forces from the West are on the ground in Ukraine, according to classified documents leaked online. 

The largest contingent is from Britain (50), followed by NATO members Latvia (17), France (15) and the US (14). 

It is unclear what the special forces are exactly doing, where they are or whether their numbers have consistently been at this level. 

However, the revelation confirms what many have speculated since the war began February last year. 

A trove of US documents marked "top secret" have been leaked and posted online recently, outlining compromising details about the war in Ukraine and its Western allies. They have not been verified. 

Yet, US officials have scrambled to have them purged from social media, as they investigate the source of the disclosure. 

On Wednesday, the UK Ministry of Defence said there was "a serious level of inaccuracy" in the claim its special forces were on the ground in Ukraine. 

"Readers should be cautious about taking at face value allegations that have the potential to spread misinformation," it tweeted. 

The presence of Western military personnel in Ukraine is likely to be seized upon by the Kremlin, which has repeatedly claimed Russia is under attack from NATO. 

It has increasingly framed the fighting as an existential struggle against the West in a bid to mobilise ordinary Russians. 

The number of special forces reported to be in Ukraine is small, but they are highly effective. Britain has a number of elite military units that are widely regarded as some of the best in the world. 

The leak also reveals the US has serious doubts that Ukraine could make significant gains in a possible counter-offensive, alongside the country's ability to defend itself against Russian strikes.

Kyiv is