Army support for Ukraine 'constrains' ability to train troops, report says

Support for Ukrainian soldiers "constrains" the British Army's ability to train its own troops, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said.

An investigation by the NAO into the UK's military support of Ukraine found a quarter of the Army's training estate was being used for a basic infantry training programme for Ukrainian recruits - known as Operation Interflex.

The parliamentary body said that, as a result of the operation, British Army units bidding for training areas were rejected eight times more often last year than in 2019.

They said in their report: "The MoD has acknowledged that Interflex will constrain the British Army's capacity to train its own soldiers."

Operation Interforge - another training programme for Ukrainian marines - also had to be moved to the Netherlands this year because "the use of training facilities in the UK was threatening to compromise the Royal Marines' own training needs".

The NAO also noted some Ukranians have criticised Operation Interflex over a lack of training on countering and using drones because of UK military and civil aviation restrictions.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesperson said: "All UK forces have access to the relevant training required to be held at readiness to protect the UK and meet our NATO commitments.

"But we welcome the NAO's report, which recognises that Ukrainian troops are better prepared to defend their country from Russia's illegal invasion thanks to the UK providing training."

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The MoD said more than 45,000 Ukrainians have received training in the UK since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

They added 89% of the most recent wave of Ukrainian forces told the MoD that British training left them better prepared for the battlefield.

Gareth Davies, the head of the NAO, said: "As the Ministry of Defence plans its future support for Ukraine, it must continue to balance the UK's strategic interests with maintaining the UK's own military capabilities.

"This includes making sure there are appropriate stocks of equipment and sufficient training provision for UK forces."

Since February 2022, the UK has donated £171.5m of equipment from its own stockpile to Ukraine. It has also spent £2.4bn procuring new equipment for Kyiv.

The MoD told the NAO the cost of replenishing British stockpiles is set to vastly outweigh the value of the donated equipment, and said it expects to spend £2.71bn up to 2030-31.

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In the report, the MoD said the discrepancy was because the UK is buying newer equipment which in some cases was more advanced than the kit donated to Ukraine.

It comes after Defence Secretary John Healey announced last week Operation Interflex would continue throughout the next year.

The minister met his European counterparts and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a defence summit in Germany last week.

The NAO investigation did not seek to evaluate the strategic case for supporting Ukraine or reach conclusions on value for money, but was intended only to set out the facts regarding what support was being provided.