Telegraph: Veterans of Western special forces could train Russians to fight against Ukraine
- Author:
- Anastasiia Zaikova
- Date:
Former Western special forces soldiers could train Russians to participate in the war against Ukraine.
This is stated in intelligence obtained by The Telegraph newspaper.
A leaked intelligence document prepared for the Australian intelligence service claims with “high confidence” that Western military veterans were involved in training Russian citizens and active military personnel.
In particular, it concerns the “Alfa-Metal” military training center in northern Bulgaria, where instructors with various military experiences allegedly worked, including former fighters from the British SAS special forces, the Australian regiment, the US Navy, and American law enforcement agencies.
Two former Australian special forces officers and a current reservist told intelligence gathering that they were invited to become instructors at training bases in Bulgaria and Serbia, where, they said, Russians could be training.
The document claims that after Russia launched a full-scale invasion in 2022, European private military centers continued to accept Russian citizens for courses, including in close-quarters combat. Intelligence sources said that Russians were still receiving training at one such center in 2025.
“Alfa-Metal” also featured the SAS logo on its instructor information page. The company also previously advertised a vacancy for a former SAS serviceman with instructor experience.
“Alfa-Metal” denied the allegations. A company representative said the center had never hired former SAS fighters, had no ties to the British special forces, and had not trained Russian citizens since the invasion began.
The company also denied any connection to Russian private security company “Alfa Region”, although it confirmed “historical professional contacts” with it. “Alfa-Metal” said it was reviewing old advertising materials that may have contained outdated information about the partnership.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.