Russian special forces and spies are in Ukraine in “significant” numbers - in the starkest warning of oncoming war, Britain has revealed.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Moscow’s elite forces have advanced across the border ahead of the main force of combat troops.
The Mirror has learned Russia’s GRU military intelligence unit and Spetsnaz crack troops are believed already to be in Ukraine preparing for war.
They are seen as an advance party appearing to plot an attack by 126,000 regular forces gathered at Ukraine’s eastern flank as well as thousands more in Belarus.
It came as British special forces are preparing for a mass evacuation of more than 1,000 British nationals if they become stranded.
They are being told to register with the skeleton embassy left in Kyiv, from where they will be air-evacuated or bussed by road 350 miles east to Poland.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned British troops could soon be sent to eastern Europe to help bolster NATO against Russia.
Mr Wallace told the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee there were individuals already in Ukraine “linked to the Russian state in ways that are not conventional” and “that should give cause for concern”.
He added: “We are becoming aware of a significant number of individuals that are assessed to be associated with Russian military advance force operations that currently are located in Ukraine.
“And that is what we expect to see next and what we’re seeing now.”
Ukraine’s SBU intelligence and security agency is working round the clock to seize Russian spooks trying to pinpoint the country’s defences.
Several have been arrested in the contested Donbas area in recent months and Ukraine forces have massively locked down security.
Russian covert operatives in Ukraine will be preparing espionage, sabotage operations and anything to undermine Ukraine’s defences.
Britain has given thousands of NLAW anti-tank missiles to Kyiv’s forces to help them hold back a Russian armoured attack, along with 100 UK military trainers.
Mr Wallace added: “Any crossing into Ukraine, whether small or large, would be viewed as a breach of that sovereignty, against international law and an invasion.
“You can’t be half-pregnant, you are either invading a country or you are not.”
On Tuesday Mr Johnson warned the UK may deploy troops to protect Nato allies in Europe should Russia invade, saying Vladimir Putin faces “ferocious” Ukrainian resistance.
The PM said the UK and its allies stand ready to impose “heavy economic sanctions” on Russia, amid fears of “bloodshed comparable to the first war in Chechnya or Bosnia”.
Mr Johnson told the House of Commons: “If Russia pursues this path, many Russian mothers’ sons will not be coming home.
“The response in the international community would be the same and the pain that would be inflicted on the Russian economy will be the same.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said his party “stands resolute” in supporting Ukraine.
Mr Johnson added: “The British Army leads the Nato battle group in Estonia and if Russia invades Ukraine, we would look to contribute to any new Nato deployments to protect our allies in Europe.”2
He went on: “There is nothing new about large and powerful nations using the threat of brute force to terrify reasonable people into giving way to otherwise completely unacceptable demands.
“But if President Putin was to choose the path of bloodshed and destruction, he must realise that it’d be both tragic and futile, and nor should we allow him to believe that he could easily take some smaller portion of Ukraine - to salami-slice - because the resistance would be ferocious.”
The SAS-led UK evacuation mission is already in Ukraine preparing for an emergency evacuation, along with the Special Forces Support Group.
Foreign Office advice was posted stating: ”British nationals in Ukraine are requested to register their presence in Ukraine. This will allow us to provide the latest information but it is still advised that British nationals continue to read and follow FCDO Travel Advice.”
The request for UK nationals to register their details is a ’standard operating procedure’ by the FCDO when they planning an evacuation such as in the Lebanon, Sierra Leone and more recently Kabul.
A senior source said: “It could be a simple operation if we can get people to the airport and fly out, but if Moscow imposes an air embargo it will be a nightmare.
“We know the Germans and other countries are also planning to airlift their people and we are looking at using a road route to the Polish border, but will be the FCDO’s call.”
