British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said that in the UK, as part of the Interflex operation, 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained, having fulfilled the annual goal seven weeks earlier.

“The UK has trained more Ukrainian recruits than pledged - today BEATING our 30k target for the year seven weeks early. 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,” Shapps said on X (Twitter).

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also wrote about this on X: “I’m proud to say that 30,000 have now been trained through Op Interflex.”

According to the website of the British government, the total number of Ukrainian soldiers trained under the programs of the Armed Forces of Great Britain now exceeds 52 thousand people. It is also emphasized that the recruits have undergone the largest military training in the UK since the Second World War.

“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,” the message reads.

After launching last summer, a number of international partner forces joined the programme, 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 government said that 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 Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy visited Ukrainian forces training in the UK in February.