The UK has reached a major milestone in its military support for Ukraine, with over 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers trained on British soil under Operation Interflex, the Ministry of Defence announced on the 1,000th day since Russia’s full-scale invasion began.
This multinational training effort, supported by 12 allied nations, reflects the UK’s commitment to bolstering Ukraine’s defence capabilities amid ongoing Russian aggression.
Operation Interflex, initiated in mid-2022, has provided vital training to Ukrainian recruits, equipping them with the skills needed to counter Russian advances. Defence Secretary John Healey praised the programme, calling it “an achievement that cannot be overstated.”
Pleased to confirm to Parliament today that 50,000 Ukrainian troops have now been trained through Operation Interflex.
And we have extended this important UK-led programme to run throughout 2025.#StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/HUlAsLrD9N
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) November 18, 2024
Healey added, “Our commitment to Ukraine remains ironclad. President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people will have our fullest support for as long as it takes.” The programme is now set to continue until at least the end of 2025.
In addition to the training milestone, the UK unveiled a new £7.5 million funding package for attack and surveillance drones, a move designed to enhance Ukraine’s battlefield capabilities. This funding will be channelled through a UK-Latvia-led drone coalition, which now includes contributions from Germany (£10 million), Canada (£3 million), and Luxembourg (£3 million), bringing the coalition’s total funding to £67 million.
The announcement comes as the UK Government’s annual spending on military support for Ukraine hits a record £3 billion, supplemented by £2.3 billion derived from profits on frozen Russian assets.
Recent UK military aid packages have also included naval equipment, air defence systems, and artillery rounds, further demonstrating the breadth of support provided.
Ukrainian forces have shown significant success in deploying drones to counter Russian assets. Surveillance drones have been instrumental in targeting Russian artillery, while attack drones have neutralised hundreds of Russian tanks and vehicles. The UK’s latest funding package builds on this success, with a focus on providing new interceptor drones capable of neutralising incoming threats.
Beyond the battlefield, the UK has also signed a £3.5 billion defence industrial agreement with Ukraine, allowing Kyiv to procure military equipment from UK companies. This agreement complements the ongoing efforts of Operation Interflex, which remains one of the largest multinational training programmes of its kind.
The Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard, highlighted its significance, stating, “Interflex is the perfect example of how we are working side-by-side with allies to bolster the security of Ukraine, which in turn boosts the security of Europe and the UK.”
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Hmmm…fully understand the value of a substantial throughput of UKR personnel in an abbreviated infantry training course. However, you Brits have some of the best SF in the world. Would it not also make sense to provide SF training for a capable subset of the Ukrainians? Developing the core of such capabilities would seem to be a worthy longer-term goal. Dunno, no direct experience in the area, but it would appear to be an intuitively obvious measure… 🤔
Upon further reflection, this, of course, could be exactly what is transpiring, w/out public acknowledgement… 🤔
I was going to suggest that we would be rather coy about announcing SF training for the UKR forces – but I’d be amazed if it was not happening.
Cheers CR
CR,
Yup, makes perfect sense. 👍
Absolutely not something we’d comment on if it was happening.
Understood. Guilty of engaging keyboard before sufficient reflection. 😱☹️
Hi former,
some of the best SF, now come on give credit where it is due. We don’t have the numbers but on a one to one US SF vs UK SF. What do you think. Good God I am ex Royal Signals, went up against one of your USMC and SEAL on the range. All I can say is came saw and kicked but. I did come away and think is that all the US had. Then again as my SSM said some people you can train and some were just born with the rifle in the hand. I was the later and as for the Seal/USMC folks on the range? Queen comes to mind We will We will F**K you. Sorry thats what the lads would sing when I was going to the range for competition. I was just thinking on my march from the range, another one bit the dust. To really piss of the US special forces I won the competition one year with my left hand (I am left handed )in plaster. We or I had a loader as the comp rifle was bolt action, I had to operate a right handed bolt and I still won. I think that was when I got 100.9 from 101 max ten rounds.
Anyway when I here the songs from Queen like We are the Champions, We will Rock You and Another One Bits the Dust It brings a smile and a tear Oh and I shoot the Sheriff, hang my head and smile whoops. If you want I’ll tell you quite funney but I had the piss taken out of me for some time.
Understand your perspective. Am not qualified to judge on a one v. one basis. However, both the quality and quantity of a SF cadre are important factors.
Op Interflex training is not just basic infantry skills. It includes tank (Challenger2) and SPG (AS-90) operation and maintenance, basic fast jet pilot trainig etc. If there is SF training to UKR SF in the programme, maybe we have kept quiet about that!
Understood. Typically exercise better judgement re uninformed, unofficial speculation. Forty lashes before the mainmast… 😳
I am ex British forces, I also lived and worked in the Ukraine with a son there and an ex that I still care about and the family doing their jobs there. My ex is a specilist in languages, god she even taught me English (Masters at 21 in language) and I’m a Brit. As for my son I will not say what he does but some of his mothers skills and some of my skills including duck incoming.
The standard training of Britsh troops is for a diffrent type of war. What is happening over there is more like WW1 than WW3. Mobility of the battlefield is gone it is a slogging match. I hope SF training is going on I also hope that intel is going on, which I know it is, but not always in real time. That is one area that the UKR forces are really lacking real time info.
What I would like to see is some training in the modern methods of the old SOE. It could be needed in the future.
I do have one question for Putin, it is this; even if you do win what then. He will have 40 million people that hates the Russians with a country that they know 2.5 times larger than the UK. The Russian forces will have a guerrilla war for decades. The situation for Putin is what the UK faced with the American War of Independence, we could have won that war, but what then, we could not police the Americas. With most of the people against the UK, it was just to big. The Ukraine would need between 500,000 – 1,000,000 Russian troops/police and even then?
Before someone asked no I have been blocked from going back, yet no one knows the mobile and data networks in the Ukraine better, I built and designed the damned thing even the back up systems. Yes it cost 20/25% more but it gave 50% redundency. As I have mentioned a few times I am ex Harrogate AAC and the college taught me well, from the deserts to America, from the very cold to the very hot, and some placies I have never officially never been by land sea and air. Then again, I just want my little one to come out the other side ok.
And for the love of god give them the tools they need and stop playing politics, the folks on the front line don’t have the time to ask Oh can we do it? Is it politically correct. If they see a target 50 miles over the border let them strike.
Sorry if this post is a bit more personnel but for me every unexpected knock on my door is the question in my head, a few seconds but a whole life.
Ron, I hope only the best for you and yours, I am an eternal pacifist and wish only peace on all the peoples of the Earth, saying that ! I fear we are dealing with the last leaders of our civilization, as you can see they’re imbeciles. ❤️✌️
Comment:IT’S RIGHT STEPS IN RIGHT DIRECTION UKRAINE NEEDS WORLD ASSISTANCE TO FIGHT OFF RUSSIA BUT THE CIVILISED NATIONS SHOULD AND MUST TO HAVE ROLLING PLANS FOR UKRAINE BESIDES TRAINING THEM,OR SENDING EQUIPMENTS THE NORTH KOREA TROOPS IN UKRAINE HELP ING RUSSIA IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY NECESSARY FOR ‘THE ALLIES,NATO AND PARTNERS TO ENVISSAGE PHYSICAL COMMITMENTS IN UKRAINE THE FRANCE’S MACRON AND THE THEN BRITAIN’S JOHNSON CALLS FOR,TOTAL ‘LIBERATION OF UKRAINE” AND TO RESTORE THE UKRAINE INDEPENDENCE AS WELL THE EUROPEAN FREEDOM THE TWO ‘NOBLE CALLS” SHOULD BE PUT TO PRATICE IF EUROPE AS WELL THE WORLD DESIRE FOR PEACE THE PUTIN’S NUCLEAR THREATS UPON THREATS ALSO SERVE AS A WAKEUP TO ALLIES,NATO AND PARTNERS NOT TO SIT IDLE IN 2022 I HAD ASKED EVERY ALLIES TO ENLARGE, MODERNISE ITS ARMED FORCES AND AS WELL CONSIDERING ‘WAR ECONOMY FOR FOUR YEARS THE LEADERS OF ALLIES WERE ALSO ASKED TO UPGRADE ITS NUCLEAR ARSENALS RECENT MOVES BY PUTIN ON USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN EUROPE BE SEEN AS WAR ‘ DECLARATION
How about some diplomacy instead of escalating the war. How about focussing on the recruitment, training and retention of our own soldiers.
How about you stop taking money from Moscow?
The esteemed one-legged North Korean general Ty Won Shu ain’t gonna be happy about this.
Do you not watch the news? Germany has just tried that a few days ago. It wasn’t the first attempt at diplomacy. All have failed.
You don’t seem to understand the Russian/Soviet use of diplomacy – “What we have we hold; what you have we will negotiate.” Throughout history Russia has predominately used coercive diplomacy. Otherwise just as a delaying tactic. You can never trust Russia.
As they goosestepped off they looked wunderbar in their Hugo Boss Obersturmbannfuhrer uniforms with their deaths head caps at a jaunty angle while they sang the Horst Wessel.
I’m really happy that we’re into this normal stuff at the moment. ❤️✌️