The Ukrainian General Staff has significantly reduced its reliance on overseas training programmes in NATO countries, shifting the bulk of basic military preparation back to Ukrainian soil.
The move, announced in late March, reflects Kyiv’s assessment that many western courses no longer match the realities of the ongoing war against Russia.
It also fuels prior accusations of a lack of readiness on the side of the Atlantic defence organisation.
Euromaidan Press reported in late March and early April that Ukraine takes new lessons from recent battlefield experience while western instructors work with old manuals.
Ukraine has been able to stave off superior Russian numbers due to quick reactions and integrated systems, together with real-time reconnaissance data, target recognition and co-ordinated attacks.
Colonel Yevhen Mezhevikin, Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of Doctrines and Training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, stated on March 22 in The New Voice of Ukraine that foreign instructors are “detached from our realities, from current combat operations”.
He cited logistical burdens such as time lost moving units across borders, paperwork and acclimatisation.
He also said that western training programmes often fail to incorporate the latest frontline lessons from drone warfare, electronic jamming and attritional combat.
“We can react more quickly to changes on the battlefield and not waste time relocating personnel from country to country,” Mezhevikin said.
The decision does not amount to a complete rupture.
Specialised courses such as pilot training for F-16s or operation of complex western air-defence systems such. as Patriot will continue abroad where the necessary infrastructure and expertise remain unavailable in Ukraine.
Ukrainian instructors have also taken a more prominent role in overseas programmes, with more frequent rotations of combat-experienced personnel.
Britain was reportedly the first NATO ally to suggest relocating much of the training to Ukraine itself.
Since Russia’s invasion, NATO countries have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian troops through programmes such as the UK’s Operation Interflex and the European Union’s Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM).
Those initiatives were once seen as vital support.
But after more than four years of continuous high-intensity fighting, Ukrainian forces have developed tactics and technologies that many western instructors have never encountered in combat.
These include mass drone deployment, real-time AI-assisted targeting via systems such as Delta and rapid reconnaissance-strike loops, German news outlet Focus reported earlier in April.
Experts such as former Aidar Battalion commander Yevhen Dykyi noted that the war has evolved faster than peacetime NATO doctrines, turning Ukraine into a de facto exporter of modern battlefield lessons rather than a passive recipient.
The shift has been illustrated in joint exercises.
During NATO’s Hedgehog 2025 drills in Estonia last May, a 10-strong Ukrainian drone team acting as the opposing force reportedly neutralised two NATO battalions in a single day.
In the REPMUS 2025 naval exercise, Ukrainian sea-drone operators simulated sinking a NATO frigate without being detected.
Ukrainian officers involved described the outcomes as exposing gaps in NATO’s ability to operate against the kind of threats now routine on the Ukrainian front.
