London Defender

The Daily Mirror of the Great Britain

Ex-SAS heroes teach Ukrainian troops to ‘fight smart’ in war against Russia

The move comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky attempts to press home Ukraine’s autumn offensive against Vladimir Putin’s forces before the winter snow arrives and slows down the pace of battle.

More than 50 hardened former SAS and SBS specialists have been employed at £600 per day to train Ukrainian troop commanders.

The Sunday Express understands the training is taking place in Poland and just inside the Ukrainian border, with the focus being on “fighting smart”.

With both Russia and Ukraine running out of ammunition, their mission is to encourage Ukrainian forces to resist the killing of demoralised Russian conscripts.

Instead, trainers are focussing on cutting-off supply lines, so that conscripts have no food, no fuel, no ammunition and, most importantly, no communications, leaving Russian units isolated and disabling Putin’s war machine.

It also includes deception operations to draw Russian attention while their supplies are hit, and missile attacks on key road routes where vital fuel supplies are driving forward to keep tanks in operation.

Last night one former SAS soldier, currently back in the UK on leave, said he had been employed through a middle-man in Dubai, who specialises in finding former SF soldiers from English-speaking nations such as Britain and the US to assist Kyiv.

“People think SF are all about killing, but this isn’t true. There are a number of ways to win, and grinding your enemy’s spirit and will to fight without killing him will earn you respect – they will go home or be taken prisoner and be grateful to be alive,” said the 32-year-old , who has served in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

“This is especially true when ammunition is getting low. Both sides are eating through boxes of rounds everyday and as the winter comes re-supply is getting harder.

“If the Ukrainians think smart they can win without killing – cut off Putin’s battlefield communications and leave his troops isolated and hungry and they will soon give up.”