UNITED KINGDOM — The United Kingdom and its allies have trained more than 62,000 Ukrainian soldiers under Operation Interflex, a multinational training program operating in the UK. The program is led by the UK and aided by 13 partner nations, including Canada, Australia, and Denmark.

The program trains both new Ukrainian recruits without battlefield experience and seasoned soldiers with combat experience. Major Maguire, a British military officer who helped lead the training of Ukrainian soldiers under Operation Interflex, spoke on condition that only his rank and last name be used.

Ukrainian soldiers showed greater tactical imagination than their Western trainers when planning ambushes, according to training observations. The Ukrainian forces were willing to break from established doctrine and take greater tactical risks than Western soldiers. Their ambush tactics incorporated terrain-based considerations that British trainers had not previously considered.

Western trainers were initially intimidated when training experienced Ukrainian soldiers. The training sessions evolved into a knowledge exchange that proved valuable to both sides. Trainers were initially surprised by how slowly Ukrainian soldiers moved in battle and later recognized that moving slowly was tactically sound in an environment rigged with traps.

The UK and its allies had not fought a large-scale industrial war in decades and are studying the war in Ukraine to adapt military practices. British units are increasingly adopting small drone warfighting tactics based on experience from the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine's officer corps includes civilians who have risen to officer roles and are less constrained by established military norms.