BRITISH soldiers have been secretly training Ukrainian troops at UK bases, Boris Johnson has revealed.
As a shipment of 120 armed vehicles makes its way from Britain to the frontline in Ukraine, their soldiers have been invited to learn how best to use them against Putin’s army.
Around two dozen of President Zelensky’s crack troops are being taught to drive battlefield tactics on UK soil for the first time.
Britain has trained more than 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers since 2014, but until now this had taken place in their own country, or neighbouring Poland.
Two weeks ago the Ministry of Defence put on a display of force and kit for the Ukrainians on Salisbury Plain – before gifting them armoured vehicles for combat, spying and rescue.
Speaking to reporters in India, the PM said: “I can say that we are currently training Ukrainians in Poland in the use of anti-aircraft defence and actually in the UK in the use of armoured vehicles.”
READ MORE ABOUT THE UKRAINE WAR
It is understood the vehicles included Mastiff, Husky and Wolfhound troop carriers, as well as Samaritan armoured ambulances and the Sultan and Samson armoured recovery units.
As Trending In The News revealed on Monday the UK will also send a handful of Avis Stormer anti-aircraft vehicles that carry 17 armour piercing high-velocity Starstreak missiles to shoot down jets and gunships.
Experts say that training on those units can take up to three months for maximum battlefield lethality is achieved.
A No10 spokesman said last night: “We are providing new types of equipment so only sensible they get requisite training to make best use of it.”
While the exact location of the Ukrainian troops in the UK remains classified, similar training often takes place on Salisbury Plain.
The 300 square mile heathland lies in the of shadow of Salisbury where Putin launched a devastating nerve agent attack on the Skripals in 2018.
Fears of a similar attack on the Ukrainian service personnel on British soil by Russian agents means their location will remain a closely guarded secret.
