Operation Interflex, the UK-led multinational training program for Ukrainian troops, is evolving to encompass a new range of specialist disciplines including aviation, medical, engineering and logistics, as well as helicopter instructor training.
Now in its fifth year, the program has delivered basic infantry and leadership training at pace and scale, enabling Ukrainians with little or no prior military experience to defend their country against Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion. In addition, the program has delivered bespoke mental resilience training to 375 Ukrainian combat psychologists since 2024.
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The new phase of training, announced in a press release by the UK Ministry of Defence, will respond to the changing requirements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), with a shift away from large‑scale infantry training and towards specialist and advanced training designed to build long-term capability.
The program’s first four years have garnered international recognition, having established support from 13 partner nations. Acting as a boost to Ukraine’s own training system, more than 63,000 Ukrainian personnel have completed infantry courses, including 11,000 trained as military instructors.
The program launched in 2022 and was extended last year to at least the end of 2026. In its first four years, its offering has grown from a five-week basic course for recruits to a seven-week program for more experienced troops.
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In a statement last month setting out the latest changes, the UK’s then Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Now in the fifth year of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s brutal war, it is clear that Ukraine’s training needs have evolved since 2022. It is therefore right that the UK’s training offer evolves too.”
Healy emphasized the need both for agility and for more specialist skills, remarking on how Operation Interflex has helped the AFU to be “better equipped to meet future challenges independently and effectively.”
Commanding Officer of Operation Interflex, Colonel Andy Boardman, described the rewards that come from such a major training intervention that is also agile in its approach.
“The opportunity to work with a large multinational coalition of nations, dedicated Ukrainian linguists, and personnel from across Defence on such an important task has been enormously 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,” Boardman said.
The UK’s continued commitment to Operation Interflex in 2026 comes at a critical time, with the war in the Middle East having provided an all-too-easy distraction from Ukraine’s fight for survival.
“Putin wants us to be distracted,” Healey said, “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.”
In an exclusive story in February 2025, Kyiv Post reported from the moorlands of Northern England to witness Operation Interflex training in action. Interviews with instructors and trainees revealed how the UK, in collaboration with Dutch and Norwegian partners, provided an opportunity for mutual learning, and shone a light on the motivations of some of the AFU’s newest recruits to take their first steps into combat.
“I couldn’t wait for the Russians to come to my home and family,” new recruit Liutyi said. “So, what should I do? Protect my family with only a shovel, or take a weapon and protect my family and my motherland?”
The UK has a long history of supporting Ukrainian service personnel, with Operation ORBITAL having trained 22,000 Ukrainians between 2015 and 2022. Operation Interflex launched in 2022 and was expanded last year to at least the end of 2026. Its offering has grown from a five-week basic course for recruits to a seven-week program for more experienced troops.
Further underpinning the UK’s steadfast commitment to Ukraine is a 100‑Year Partnership agreement, jointly signed in January 2025, which formalizes long-term defense and non-military cooperation.
Additionally, and alongside France, the UK is jointly leading the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine’s future security. In total, the UK has committed up to £21.8 billion ($29 billion) in support for Ukraine, including £13 billion ($17.3 billion) in military support up to £5.3 billion ($7 billion) in non-military support, and a £3.5 billion ($4.6 billion) export finance cover limit.
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