Interflex training programme for Ukrainian recruits to continue until 2026

British military experts will continue to train Ukrainian soldiers until at least the end of 2026, with an extension to Operation Interflex.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK was “ramping up” its support for Ukrainian forces, ahead of independence day celebrations in Kyiv.

More than 50,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained on British soil, according to the Government.

To mark Ukrainian independence day on August 24, Mr Healey said: “We will continue to step up our support alongside allies, so that Ukraine can defend today and deter tomorrow.

“In the face of ongoing Russian attacks, we must put Ukraine’s armed forces in the strongest possible position.

“And as the push for peace continues, we must make the Ukrainians into the strongest possible deterrent to secure that future peace.

“On this special day for the freedom and democracy of the Ukrainian people, we are ramping up and evolving our world-leading training support that has given more than 50,000 Ukrainians vital combat skills.

“This matters to Ukraine and it matters to Britain. A secure Ukraine is a secure Europe.

“From learning lessons from the battlefield to strengthen our own armed forces, to deepening our military industrial collaboration supporting jobs across the nation, Britain and Ukraine are growing closer than ever before.”

Ukrainians will mark 34 years since their country left the Soviet Union, with more than 2,000 Ukrainian recruits, British military personnel and others celebrating at one of the Interflex training sites in England this year.

The Interflex programme began as a five-week course for basic combat training but has since been extended to seven weeks, with alternative courses designed to boost leadership and command skills for commanding officers.

British leaders are adapting the programme, the Ministry of Defence has announced, to put emphasis on leadership instructor training as Kyiv’s needs evolve.