The UK’s training programme for Ukraine is moving away from large-scale basic infantry training and towards specialist and advanced courses designed to build long-term capability, the Ministry of Defence has announced.
The change marks the start of the fifth year of Operation Interflex, the UK-led multinational programme that began in 2022 in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Its original task was to deliver basic infantry training at pace and scale, equipping Ukrainians with little or no military experience to defend their country. According to the Ministry of Defence, more than 63,000 Ukrainians have completed Interflex training over the past four years, including 11,000 military instructors, supported by personnel from 13 partner nations.
As it enters its fifth year, the programme will bring all UK-led training for Ukraine, both in the UK and overseas, under a single unified framework, and will expand into specialist areas including aviation, medical, engineering and logistics. The new framework incorporates helicopter instructor training, the first trainees from which graduated last month, as part of what the department described as a long-term plan to help Ukraine build its own pilot training system.
Defence Secretary John Healey said Ukraine’s training needs had changed since 2022 and that the UK’s offer should evolve with them. “As Operation Interflex marks its four year anniversary, we are entering a new phase that builds on its success and agility to deliver long-term specialist skills such as pilot, medical and engineering training,” he said. “In doing so, we are helping ensure Ukraine’s Armed Forces are better equipped to meet future challenges independently and effectively.”
Healey said attention on events in the Middle East would not divert the UK from its support. “With eyes on the Middle East in recent months, Putin wants us to be distracted, but Ukrainians continue to fight with huge courage and nothing will distract us from continuing to stand with them for as long as it takes to secure peace,” he said.
The Commanding Officer of Operation Interflex, Colonel Andy Boardman, said working alongside a large multinational coalition, Ukrainian linguists and personnel from across defence had been rewarding. “The output has been remarkable, injecting over 63,000 trained soldiers into the Ukrainian military and exposing partners to the evolving nature of the modern battlefield,” he said, describing the new phase as the latest demonstration of the programme’s ability to adapt to the changing needs of the Ukrainian armed forces.
