Veterans of the British Special Air Service (SAS) would train Russian citizens for combat in Ukraine, according to an information note leaked to The Telegraph publication.
The assessment, prepared for the “Five Eyes” information alliance, asserts with “a high degree of certainty” that veterans of Western armies have been hired to train both ordinary Russian citizens and active military personnel of the Russian Federation.
The Telegraph had access to a copy of the note, prepared by the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) based on interviews with two former Australian special forces soldiers and an active reservist. They stated that they were proposed to become instructors in training camps in Bulgaria and Serbia, where, according to allegations, Russian clients would have been trained.
According to the note, the Alfa-Metal company’s combat training center, located in Mejdeni, in the north of Bulgaria, is hiring instructors with “diverse professional experience”, including veterans of the SAS, the Australian commando regiment, the American police, and the US Navy’s special forces (Navy SEALs).
The Alfa-Metal Center offers training programs for special forces and advanced sniper training courses, at a price of approximately 4,000 euros per person. Its clients would be potential employees of private military companies, security agents, and corporate security staff.
The note, however, maintains that even after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, private training centers in Europe continued to receive Russian citizens for courses, including one on “advanced close-range combat”. Special forces veterans interviewed in the process of gathering information about the center stated that current employees told them that the training of Russian citizens continued even in 2025 – three years after the large-scale invasion initiated by Vladimir Putin. Former Australian military personnel were interviewed through an intermediary, whose identity The Telegraph does not reveal for security reasons.
Details, HERE