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How 14 Countries Have Trained 67,000+ Ukrainian Soldiers for Combat. Operation Interflex in Photos
For more than four years, troops from the UK and 13 other countries have been training Ukrainian recruits, commanders, and instructors as part of an operation known as Interflex. Want to see what it has looked like? A photo exhibition featuring the operation over the years has opened in Kyiv and Lviv.
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Operation Interflex is a multinational military training program led by the UK and designed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was launched in June 2022, following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Interflex brings together troops from the United Kingdom and 13 partner countries: Albania, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Kosovo, Lithuania, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Romania, and Sweden. More than 67,000 Ukrainians have already completed the training, helping strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
Over the years, Operation Interflex has expanded, with new courses being added, including training for commanders, instructors, combat medics, and psychologists, as well as soldiers to command platoons and squads.
UNITED24 Media witnessed the training firsthand and spoke to those taking part in the operation.
Interflex in photos
The photo exhibition Operation Interflex: Photo Stories From the International Training of Ukrainian Military Personnel Led by the UK opened on September 30 at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv. The exhibition features 16 photographs. The images show Ukrainian service members training as part of Operation Interflex, as well as the international cooperation at the heart of the program.
British Ambassador to Ukraine Neil Crompton attended the opening. He said that Operation Interflex is just one part of what Britain is doing in cooperation with various Ukrainian ministries. He also highlighted how Operation Interflex has evolved over the years.
“Today, Operation Interflex is moving from basic general military training to more specialized training,” Crompton said. The focus will now be on training Ukrainian military specialists in medicine, engineering, and logistics, as well as helicopter pilots. This will help strengthen Ukraine’s long-term defense capabilities.
Hannah Melnyk, a representative of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Strategic Communications, also attended the opening. She thanked the UK for its support of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and highlighted the importance of such programs.
“This is close cooperation with the UK Ministry of Defence’s Defence Communications Directorate, which has a positive impact on the image of the Armed Forces and on Ukraine’s defense capabilities.”
Oleh Kucheriavyi, acting director general of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, recalled that earlier this year, the museum and the British Embassy illuminated the Motherland Monument with the Ukrainian and British flags to mark the first anniversary of the 100-year partnership agreement between Ukraine and the UK.
“These were difficult times, when we were partly without heat and electricity, while Russia was trying to destroy our energy infrastructure. But when the Ukrainian and British flags appeared on the Motherland Monument, it once again showed that we have friends and partners, countries and peoples that stand in solidarity with us.”
He also highlighted museum employees who are currently serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and who underwent training in the UK.
“When we talk about this exhibition today, we remember those museum employees who are now on the front lines. Most importantly, we always remember those who are defending Ukraine’s independence today.”
The photo exhibition is open to visitors in Kyiv and Lviv.
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