ASIS Intelligence: SAS and Western Special Forces Veterans May Have Trained Russians to Fight Against Ukraine

Journalists from The Telegraph have obtained an intelligence note prepared for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), which points to the possible involvement of Western special forces veterans — including those of the British Special Air Service (SAS) — in preparing Russian nationals to conduct combat operations against Ukraine. Intelligence assesses the credibility of this information with a "high degree of confidence," although independent confirmation of the key claims has not yet been obtained, and the individuals directly named in the allegations categorically deny them.

The Intelligence Note and Its Sources

The document that ended up in the hands of journalists was compiled on the basis of conversations with two former Australian special forces operators and one active reservist. According to them, they were offered work as instructors in training camps in Bulgaria and Serbia, where, they claim, Russian clients underwent training. The intelligence note is currently the subject of an ASIS investigation, and its results are expected to be shared with the United Kingdom and the United States within the framework of the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance. This gives the topic significant geopolitical weight: if the claims are confirmed, it will involve a breach of informal but strict norms separating Western intelligence services and the Russian military machine.

Training Centers in Bulgaria and Serbia

One of the centers explicitly mentioned in the note is Alfa-Metal in Bulgaria. The company offers courses under special forces programs and advanced sniper programs, with training costs of around four thousand euros per person. Among the potential clients of the center named in the document are employees of private military companies, security guards, and representatives of corporate security services. The key claim of the note is that after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, European private training centers continued to accept Russian nationals, including for courses on close-quarters combat. According to the veterans interviewed, during an intelligence gathering, center staff stated that Russians continued to be trained there even in 2025.

Alfa-Metal: Allegations and Denials

On the Alfa-Metal website, according to The Telegraph, a photograph of the SAS emblem was posted, and an advertisement seeking a British instructor with special forces experience was published. On the center's instructors page, a man was presented who claimed 12 years of service in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command and cited experience in counter-terrorism, ranger training, airborne preparation, jungle operations, and long-range reconnaissance. Alfa-Metal categorically denies the allegations: the company stated that after the start of the Russian invasion it did not train Russian nationals and never hired former SAS operators. In addition, the company initially denied ties with the Russian private security company Alfa Region, but after a request from The Telegraph, Alfa-Metal representatives acknowledged that "historical professional contacts" existed between the structures.

Contradictory Data

Significant discrepancies between the versions of the parties make the picture ambiguous. On the one hand, the ASIS intelligence note assesses the information with a "high degree of confidence," and The Telegraph publishes the document as having evidentiary value. On the other hand, The Telegraph explicitly states that it was unable to independently confirm the claims set out in the document. Several sources within the SAS itself cast doubt on the information about the involvement of unit veterans in training Russians, stating that such actions would contradict the values of the special unit. A representative of the UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment on matters related to British special operations forces or intelligence. Alfa-Metal, in turn, fully denies the fact of training Russian nationals after 2022 and the hiring of SAS veterans. Thus, at this point, neither side has provided publicly verifiable evidence, and the final conclusion will depend on the results of the ASIS investigation and possible information sharing within the "Five Eyes."

Context: The Situation at the Front

The revelation about the possible "reverse" training of Russians by Western special forces veterans coincides with a period when the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue active combat operations. Over the past few days, Ukrainian troops have advanced on the Sloviansk direction in Donetsk Oblast and carried out a series of successful counterattacks on other sections of the front. According to data previously published by XAB.info, the total losses of the Russian Federation in the war against Ukraine have exceeded 1.5 million people. Under these conditions, the question of who and how is training Russian fighters takes on additional significance for understanding the dynamics of the conflict and the Russian side's ability to adapt to the tactics employed by Ukrainian and Western military forces.