In a recent Parliamentary Written Question and Answer, John Healey MP inquired about the number of Ukrainian personnel trained under Operation Interflex since its start.
James Heappey MP, Minister of State for the Ministry of Defence and Minister for the Armed Forces, responded by highlighting the UK’s significant role in training Ukrainian forces.
He revealed that over 34,000 Ukrainian personnel have been trained in the UK under Operation Interflex since its inception in June 2022. Additionally, he noted that the UK has trained more than 60,000 Ukrainians since the launch of Operation Orbital in 2015, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
This information was detailed in the referred-to Parliamentary Written Question and Answer, shown below.
John Healey (Labour – Wentworth and Dearne):
“To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ukrainian personnel have been trained under Operation Interflex since its inception.”
James Heappey (Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Minister for the Armed Forces):
“The UK continues to deliver a major training operation for Ukrainian forces, with over 34,000 Ukrainian personnel trained in the UK under Operation INTERFLEX since it commenced in June 2022. The UK has trained more than 60,000 Ukrainians since Op ORBITAL was launched in 2015 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014.”
For comparison, how many British Army were trained in the same period? So what percentage of capacity do the figures represent?
I would ask how many of those 60,000 are alive and still have all four limbs?
If reports are to be believed, Ukraine has lost between four and ten times that number. With millions having fled the country, heading for safety in western countries and Russia. .
No one heads for safety in Russia. Not even Russians.
It’s horrific the losses. Russia really needs to withdraw and stop the madness.
Ethnic Russians do.
As in the Ukrainians, I would assume from your previous posts, should withdraw… where?
I think I understand what you are asking. My answer will require clarification. Please excuse the preamble.
When the USSR lost the Cold War and disintegrated. Ethnic Russian people living within the oblasts allocated to the founding member republic of Ukraine. Voted overwhelmingly to become part of a new independent Ukrainian state. Such was enthusiasm for change and an escape from the horrors of marxist communism.
Why some years later in 2014 did those same people come to regret the decision and vote to leave Ukraine?
The answer to your question. They withdraw to an oblast where the majority is ethnic Ukrainian. Agree to differ and stop killing each other.
Judging from your previous answers you will probably disagree. But that is fine, we live in a free country where we can speak our native tongue without persecution.
Like the old totalitarian communist state of Yugoslavia. Ukraine is a hodgepodge amalgam of ethnically and religiously divergent people, with a long history of conflicts. Forced together by a dictatorial oppressive political system, ruled by terror. So severe was that system that all the old hatreds were minor by comparison. Now that soviet system has gone and the old issues have resurfaced. Revealing prejudices, hatred and old scores to be settled.
The situation is similar to old Yugoslavia and in my opinion the solution could have been the same. Partition along ethnic lines, with UN peacekeeping assistance where necessary. Such a thing is still possible but NATO has blown any chance of being involved in the peace process. The fools!
Now we are left with a new cold war, the need to rearm and defend the new iron curtain that has descended across Europe.
I agree with you on your summarisation of the situation during Soviet rule, though not with your categorisation of Ukraine as a “founder state” due to the inherently urban nature of Marxism.
However, the central issue raised is that a sovereign state has had its territory invaded by a foreign power illegally. That is wrong whatever the ethnic makeup of the country. Your comparison with Yugoslavia is reasonable but misleading in that Ukraine is dominated by a largely similar Russia but with a distinct culture and national identity rather than irreducibly divided groups in a single nation.
There are indeed groups within Ukraine with distinct identities. However, the Donetsk regions have hardly had a chance to demonstrate their people’s will for independence. Their leaders are largely chosen for loyalty to Russia so expecting the result to be a balanced debate is naïve, to say the least. Yes, Ukraine should be left to sort out it’s troubles, but as two sides within a state, not state-backed separatists, which is unlikely to result in a democratic conclusion.
Thanks for replying logically and calmly, it’s not something I have learnt to expect from most with your opinions on this site.
Interestingly there was very little evidence of significant tension between the Ukrainian and Russian ethnic groups in Ukraine…it was all fine right up until Putin started pouring flu onto the separatist movements ( that were quite frankly small groups of extremists and terrorists)…it actually took until around 2020 before Ukraine started to become less tolerant of Russian culture….which you can sort do understand when Putin had spent 6 years fighting a proxy war….even in 2022 a survey of Russian speaking Ukrainians in the areas of Ukraine controlled by Ukraine showed 80-90% of them did not feel oppressed etc and supported the idea of Ukrainian statehood.
It is very much agreed that the whole dialogue of Russophobia has been created by Putin to justify his imperial ambitions…be that in Georgia, Moldova or what he did in Chechnya.
It was reported by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and international media outlets stretching back to before 2008. I noticed them much later while researching the background to the annexation of Crimea. Mostly recorded as persecution of ethnic Russian, Roma peoples and LGBT by right wing groups. Karpatska Sich, C14 etc.
Note records of persecution of none Ukrainians prior to 2014. Some of the reports are still available but many have mysteriously disappeared! As they support Putin’s exaggerated claims of attempted genocide. I suspect you already know this. “The most believable propaganda lies have a kernel of truth at their centre.”
Considering the track records of both countries involved. Any opinion pole they publish themselves cannot be taken seriously. Both are former soviet states with well established KGB control mechanisms. They various KGB functionaries still have controlling interests in both nations extremely wealthy oligarchy class. Some obnoxious characters are willing to pay very well for operatives with those skills.
What’s your background Jonathan, any links with eastern europe?
Hi George I agree on the issues with minority groups other than Russian ..the reports prior to 2012 were not good with the government intrenched in Neo Nazi movements..but and this is the big one the hight of this was at the time a pro Putin pro Russian government was in place…this profoundly awful government was the one that was removed and triggered the Russian invasion in 2014…basically Putin invaded Ukraine the moment that horrible government was removed Putin invaded…there was never any opportunity to see if the new government would be Russophobia..as Putin just went to war with it and has not stopped in a decade…as for any anti Russian sentiment after 2014..I would say that actually consider the nation was invaded by Russia and extremist Russia separatists..it’s been very tolerant..when the U.S. was attacked by Japan it impounded every person of Japanese heritage in concentration camps, including around 100,000 American citizens…
so you have to separate out the actions pre 2014 as that was a pro Putin government ( a Russian puppet)..everything after 2014 must be taken in using the lense of a nation at war.
Not really a strait comparison though. ORBITAL course is 6 weeks start to finish. Infantry training is 26 weeks. Normal Ph1 Common Military Syllabus is 14 weeks alone.
What this does show though, is the Army’s capacity to grow itself in an emergency – it is now very experienced in training a citizen army from scratch.
What the nation needs to do in addition though is work out the logistics of doing it for itself – where will the weapons, clothing and equipment come from?
Hold on Putin give us a couple of years notice so we can be ready and trained!
Well that really highlights the importance of keeping Ukraine in the fight…
Well said Bob. May I add the little mentioned effect of deliberately shrinking our armed forces. Has been the loss of most of our military industrial capacity. It takes far longer to train a skilled workforce, build hardened factories and establish secure supply lines. Logistics, logistics and logistics.
There is a minimum manpower threshold for a nation like ours, to sustain a viable self perpetuating military force. It is the product of the size of armed forces and the minimum orders for the supporting industries to remain viable. Without the need to secure overseas orders. Call it the Goldilocks zone. I cannot tell you exactly what that is numerically without access to MOD files. All I can do is guess based on readily available indicators.
The demise of Vickers Armstrong is a good indicator. Whatever the size of the British Armed Forces were when the army ordered FV4021 Chieftain MBT of which roughly 1000 were supplied to the British Army. Is going to be close for our land forces. Probably for the RAF too.
There are ways to solve our current self inflicted military crisis but it’s not going to be pleasant for the woke brigade.
We have less men in our current army then you could get fans to fill a football ground!
Could we train this many for the British army, clearly yes. So why aren’t we?
It would be nice to think our own Government took the clear threat seriously enough to increase the defence budget to 5%.
Increase service pay to all ranks by 25% immediately.
Allow and encourage those that have recently left to return and expand the Army to 1990 levels.
It would send an immediate message to those that wish us harm and put us back to where we should never have been removed from.
I recommend you look up the state of our finances old chap.
Tough, so we stop giving money and aid to foreigners. Cut back on dubious things like zero carbon expenditure and invest heavily in our armed forces. Along with the indigenous strategic industries that support them. State owned industries if necessary. We cannot delay any longer.
5% maybe in your dreams, realistically a target of 3% would be a good start
3% true ,but will we ever get there 🤔
Get yourself on the Armed Force’s careers page then pal.
Very well said. Just ignore the usual negative voices talking about money.
The first duty of government is defence of the realm. Therefore the first slice of the national pie must go to ensure we have the best possible armed force. The budget should be fixed between 7.5% and 10% of GDP. Except for emergencies and times like now when war is a real possibility that cannot be ignored. Then there is no upper limit.
It would be even more comforting if we had trained at least that many UK troops!