The United States plans to resume funding for top-secret programs in Ukraine that were cut off on the eve of a full-scale Russian invasion.
The Washington Post writes that the Pentagon has already urged Congress to do so. At the same time, a decision is unlikely to be made until autumn.
If approved, the US Special Operations Forces will be able to use Ukrainian operatives to monitor the movement of the Russian military and counter disinformation.
It is noted that secret programs could resume as early as 2024, but it is unclear whether the Biden administration will allow the return of American special forces to Ukraine or the military will try to do this from a neighboring country.
Pay attention! None the US military has not been active in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, except for a small number of troops seconded to the US embassy in Kiev.U.S. special forces, using a similar funding agency, have for years paid selected foreign military and paramilitary units in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, using them as “surrogates” in counterterrorism operations against al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and their henchmen. .
The newer surrogate programs used in Ukraine are considered a form of “irregular warfare”. They are used against adversaries such as Russia and China, with whom the US is in competition, not conflict.
The publication cites Pentagon sources as saying the outcome of the vote is difficult to predict, especially as Republicans disagree on aid to Ukraine. But the relatively modest program spending of $15 million a year is a bargain compared to the tens of billions of dollars spent on training and arming Ukrainian forces and resupplying the US.
Which operations were in place before the invasion
Before Russia's full-scale invasion, US forces conducted two programs in Ukraine, in one of them, according to WP, “there were people who sorted out Russian propaganda and told the truth in blogs.”
The American special forces used the second program to send Ukrainian operatives to covert reconnaissance missions in the East of Ukraine. If the programs are restored, they will continue to be limited to non-combat operations.
Important! As of the end of January, the United States has allocated more than $27.4 billion in assistance to Ukraine since the start of the current US presidential administration.
