Media learned about plans to send British soldiers to Ukraine to train the AFU

British Defence Secretary John Healey has allowed sending military instructors to Ukraine to train soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was reported by The Times on 20 December with reference to Western officials.

At the same time, the paper noted that the Western community was concerned about the fact that British military instructors would become a target for the Russian army if they appeared in Ukraine.

The material also stresses that the issue of training the AFU was raised in the fall of 2023, when the head of the General Staff of the Army of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Britain, General Patrick Sander, insisted on sending instructors. However, the initiative was not supported by the country's Defense Ministry, Gazeta.Ru reported.

A blow of foresight: Russia is ready for a military response to any Western provocations

How far the U.S. and its allies can go and whether the "red lines" in the Ukrainian conflict are still in place

Earlier, on November 21, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the appearance of North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) forces on the territory of Ukraine would mean joining the war against Russia. She added that this could lead to catastrophic consequences not only for European countries, but also for the whole world. The diplomat also recalled that Russia has already "repeatedly talked about it."

Earlier, on November 6, it was reported that the Western countries have trained more than 100 thousand military of the AFU since 2022. For the training of Ukrainian soldiers in the West was introduced simplified documentation. Within its framework, the partner states of Ukraine studied the needs of the AFU and sent invitations.

The special operation to protect Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, 2022, continues. The decision was taken against the background of the aggravated situation in the region.