The UK has cautioned its troops over risks posed by Russian spies using drones to monitor military bases, particularly those hosting training for Ukrainian troops as part of the British-led Operation Interflex.
Operation Interflex is the codename for the UK-led training program that started in July 2022, in which recruits from Ukraine undergo a five-week training program in the UK to learn combat basics before returning to Ukraine to help defend the country.
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As reported by The Times, the UK’s Field Army Threat Handbook, published in October 2023, includes warnings against drones used by Russian intelligence to spy on Ukrainian troops taking part in training in the UK.
“The training of the AFU [Armed Forces of Ukraine] remains of significant intelligence interest to Hostile Foreign Intelligence Services and the national press,” the handbook reads.
“RIS [Russian intelligence services] routinely employ a range of physical reconnaissance and technical capabilities… to collect on UK land activities, including the training of armed forces of Ukraine personnel.
“TTPS [Tactics, Techniques and Procedures] include the use of remotely piloted aircraft systems, mobile and foot surveillance, virtual and physical approaches to training providers and interest from investigative journalists,” it added.
It said vulnerable locations “include training areas, Aerial Port of Debarkation, Seaport Port of Debarkation and key accommodation and logistical sites.”
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However, defense sources told The Times that there was “little evidence” of drones spying over UK training grounds and suggested the handbook was written as a “just in case” warning to caution troops of potential risks.
In July, Politico reported that drones of unknown origin were frequently spotted over the training areas used by Ukrainian recruits in Germany.
German trainers said they had decided to incorporate the presence of drones into the training and cautioned Ukrainian troops to treat them as real threats they would eventually face on the battlefields in Ukraine, where drones of all shapes and sizes are commonplace.
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