The General Staff announced that Operation Interflex is entering a new phase
The UK-led Interflex training program is entering a new phase in the training of Ukrainian military personnel. According to the General Staff, the program’s focus is shifting from basic infantry training to advanced and specialized fields, including aviation, medical, engineering, and logistics.
“June 2026 marks the fourth anniversary of Operation Interflex—a UK-led multinational training program under which more than 63,000 Ukrainian service members have been trained as infantrymen, commanders, and instructors. The fifth year of this successful and highly regarded program will mark a new phase of specialized training designed to build long-term capabilities,” the statement reads.
The new training structure will include training for helicopter aviation instructors—the first graduates of which completed their training last month—as well as other training areas, including medical and engineering.
“Today, a new phase of British support for Ukraine in the field of training was announced, which involves expansion into specialized areas, including aviation, medical, engineering, and logistics,” the General Staff noted.
Operation Interflex was launched following the full-scale illegal invasion of Ukraine initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Its initial mission was to rapidly and extensively provide basic infantry training, enabling Ukrainians with little or no military experience to defend their country against Russia’s unprovoked aggression.
As emphasized by the General Staff, over the past four years, Interflex has evolved into an extremely successful, highly regarded, and internationally recognized training program. With the support of personnel from 13 partner nations, it has provided basic infantry training alongside courses for commanders and instructors.
In addition, since 2024, 375 Ukrainian combat psychologists have completed specialized training in psychological resilience through the program.
Since its inception, 63,000 Ukrainians have completed training under the Interflex program, including 11,000 military instructors, which has significantly strengthened Ukraine’s own training system.
As it enters its fifth year, Interflex will transition to a new unified structure, bringing together all UK-led training for Ukraine—both in the United Kingdom and abroad—under a single name. In line with the evolving needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the program will shift away from large-scale infantry training in favor of specialized and in-depth training designed to build long-term capabilities.
“Now, in the fifth year of Putin’s brutal war, it is clear that Ukraine’s training needs have changed since 2022. It is therefore only natural that the United Kingdom’s training offer is also evolving,” said British Defense Minister John Healey.
As Operation Interflex marks its fourth anniversary, the General Staff noted, we are entering a new phase that builds on its success and flexibility to provide long-term specialized skills, such as pilot training, medical training, and engineering training. In doing so, we are helping to ensure that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have a better ability to respond independently and effectively to future challenges.
“By focusing attention on the Middle East in recent months, Putin hopes to distract us, but Ukrainians continue to fight with tremendous courage, and nothing will deter us from continuing to support them for as long as it takes to achieve peace,” the General Staff emphasized.
“The opportunity to work on such an important mission as part of a large multinational coalition of nations, alongside dedicated Ukrainian translators and personnel from all branches of the defense department, has been incredibly valuable,” said Colonel Andy Bordman, commander of Operation Interflex.
Since 2022, Operation Interflex has evolved repeatedly to meet the changing needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and this is just the latest example of that flexibility, as the United Kingdom remains committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as it takes.
The United Kingdom continues to play a leading international role in supporting Ukraine. Together with France, the United Kingdom co-leads the Coalition of the Willing in support of Ukraine’s future security, the statement said.
As a reminder, on June 4, the General Staff updated the map ofhostilities and recorded 279 clashes.
Earlier, the Main Intelligence Directorate reported on drones with a range of up to 3,500 km.
Ukraine’s unmanned systems forces reported the destruction of two Tu-142 aircraft and an Iskander operational-tactical missile system at a military airfield in Taganrog, Russia.
