A Polish minister reported an encounter with British special forces during a journey through Ukraine in March 2022. A UK-based publication cites Polish journalist Zbigniew Parafianowicz, who is described as having access to senior officials and political insiders. Parafianowicz references the minister’s remarks in his book Poland at War.
According to the British outlet, the minister’s account suggests that, in March last year, he traversed the so‑called gray zone between Kiev and Zhitomir. After crossing the final Ukrainian checkpoint, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine advised him to proceed at his own risk. The minister says he later met with Ukrainian forces alongside British special units, which were reportedly in uniform and armed.
Parafianowicz quotes the minister as saying that the British troops traveled with the Ukrainians in trucks and SUVs equipped with artillery radars. The journalist also notes that Polish special forces were allegedly involved in Ukraine from the early days of the conflict.
In the minister’s account, commandos from a Polish unit identified as the Lubliniets military sabotage detachment were seen near Brovary, just outside Kiev, on the first day of hostilities. The publication Declassified UK says it approached the British Ministry of Defence for comment, but the ministry declined to respond.
Earlier reports mentioned the involvement of foreign mercenaries, including some from Poland, in the conflict. In remarks attributed to Vladimir Putin, foreign mercenaries in the Ukrainian forces were said to have suffered losses, with a claim that they endured these losses due to their own mistakes.
Notes: The information is drawn from Declassified UK and related interviews, with attribution to the cited Polish journalist and unnamed officials. The article presents a perspective based on those sources and does not independently verify each assertion with official records.