Some 30,000 Ukrainian troops trained in UK, seven weeks ahead of schedule
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The United Kingdom has completed the training of 30,000 Ukrainian military personnel, seven weeks ahead of schedule, UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps wrote on his X (Twitter) account on Nov. 10.
"The UK has trained more Ukrainian recruits than pledged - today BEATING our 30k target for the year 7 weeks early," Shapps wrote.
“We've brought in international partners & can be proud of the real world difference we're making for Ukraine's freedom here in the UK. Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine)."
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also praised the training results of the Ukrainian military, recalling his visit to a training ground with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
"Back in February, @ZelenskyyUa and I met of some of the Ukrainian soldiers being trained here in the UK. I’m proud to say that 30,000 have now been trained through Op Interflex. My message today is the same as it was then: We will be with you until victory."
Ahead of schedule, the UK-led Op Interflex has reached the milestone of 30,000 recruits trained in the UK since June 2022 – taking the total number of trained Ukrainian soldiers to more than 52,000 since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2014, according to a Nov. 10 press release from the UK Defense Ministry.
Delivered in locations throughout the UK, the world-leading program takes volunteer recruits who have joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine with little to no previous military experience and teaches them the skills required to survive and be effective in frontline combat.
A number of international partner forces joined the program, providing vital experience, training and insight into frontline combat. These countries include Canada, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, The Netherlands and Australia. And today, NATO ally Romania has also confirmed its involvement, taking the total number of partner nations to ten.
The course is delivered over a minimum period of five weeks and includes weapons handling, battlefield first aid, Law of Armed Conflict training, patrol tactics and rural environment training. During the past 12 months, the UK’s wider package of support has also evolved to include upskilling Ukrainian Marines, with British Commandos training Ukraine’s forces in small boat amphibious operations, as well as mine-clearance training by the Royal Engineers, trauma response training and even Army chaplaincy support for Ukrainian padres.
The United Kingdom leads in the training of Ukrainian military personnel. The United States has also expanded its training program for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, providing training for Ukrainian soldiers at a training camp in Germany.
The European Union aims to train 40,000 Ukrainian soldiers by the end of 2023, as part of its ongoing European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM), EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Aug. 30. Most of the training take place in Poland.
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