MILAN — Ukrainian forces will receive additional training from the British military as part of the expansion of the United Kingdom-led Interflex warfare program.
Operation Interflex was launched in July 2022, initially as a five-week course, intended to provide Ukrainian recruits with basic combat training. The British government announced this week that it has renewed the initiative at least to the end of 2026, highlighting its long-term commitment to providing assistance to the wartorn country.
The program is also being revamped to best cater to Kyiv’s evolving military requirements, where classes are now seven weeks long and a greater focus is given to leadership and instructor training.
Two alternative courses are offered alongside the basic infantry class: one teaches troops how to command at a platoon and section leader level, while the other is an instructor training course tailored to the seniority of recruits.
“Training a new generation of Ukrainian instructors is one of the most effective methods to strengthen Ukraine’s security both now and in the long-term – it will help to continue to regenerate its military capabilities, which would act as the strongest deterrent against further attacks from Putin under any peace deal,” a statement from the UK Ministry of Defense said.
Interflex is the successor to Operation Orbital, another UK-led training program that ran from 2015 to 2022, in response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, but where British instructors were sent to Ukraine. Thus far, over 50,000 Ukrainian recruits have been trained in the UK.
Thirteen other nations are involved in the initiative, including Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, Kosovo, Sweden, Albania and the Netherlands.
According to survey results published by the UK MoD, among Ukrainian trainees who completed the leadership courses from January to August 2025, 83% said they “felt more able to make their troops under their command survivable at the end of their training,” and 93% said they were more confident that they could make them “more lethal” under their control.
This year, the UK has pledged to spend $6.1 billion on military support to Ukraine, its largest amount to date. A large part of this sum will go towards buying 5,000 air defense missiles, as announced in March, and a significant number will be invested to increase Ukraine’s supply of drones.
Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.
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