Court of Auditors warns:

Ukraine aid at the expense of British soldiers

Ukrainian soldiers on a British training ground

(Bild: APA/AFP/HENRY NICHOLLS)

The UK has trained more than 42,000 Ukrainian soldiers since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022. However, according to the British Audit Office, this intensive military aid is now coming at the expense of the UK's own armed forces.

A quarter of the training capacity is being used for the program for Ukrainian recruits, known as Operation Interflex, according to a recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO). Requests from British units for time on military training grounds were rejected eight times more often in 2023 than in 2019. "The Ministry of Defense has acknowledged that Interflex will limit the British Army's ability to train its own soldiers," the NAO added.

British soldiers move to the Netherlands
The training of Ukrainian marines had already been moved to the Netherlands earlier this year because the use of facilities in the UK threatened to jeopardize the training needs of the Royal Marines. 

British soldiers sometimes have to go abroad to undergo necessary training.

(Bild: APA/AFP/JUSTIN TALLIS)

Ukrainians criticize shortcomings in training
According to the data, 89 percent of Ukrainian soldiers trained in the UK consider themselves better prepared for combat operations. However, according to the NAO, there was criticism of the lack of training in the use and combat of drones. This is due to military and civilian flight restrictions in the UK.

The NAO has also published information on arms deliveries: the UK has so far delivered weapons and equipment worth 171.5 million pounds (around 203 million euros) to Ukraine from its own stocks. The Ministry of Defense expects to spend 2.71 billion pounds by the 2030/31 financial year.