---
title: "ASIS Intelligence: SAS and Western Special Forces Veterans May Have Trained Russians to Fight Against Ukraine"
description: "An ASIS intelligence note points to the possible involvement of SAS and Western special forces veterans in training Russians in camps in Bulgaria and Serbia. Alfa-Metal denies the allegations, and The Telegraph was unable to independently confirm the data."
date: 2026-09-10T01:40:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/sas-western-special-forces-veterans-may-have-trained-russians-to-fight-against-ukraine
tags: [ukraine-war, special-forces, intelligence, russia, sas, private-military-companies, five-eyes]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

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

![A group of Russian soldiers in camouflage and armed with rifles moving towards a column of military trucks](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/10/veterany-zapadnogo-spetsnaza-mogli-obuchat-rossiyan-voevat-protiv-ukrainy/veterany-zapadnogo-spetsnaza-mogli-obuchat-rossiyan-voevat-protiv-ukrainy-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- An ASIS intelligence note, prepared on the basis of testimony from former Australian special forces operators, points to the possible training of Russians by Western special forces veterans, including SAS
- The Alfa-Metal training center in Bulgaria is mentioned as one of the sites; the company denies training Russian nationals after 2022 and hiring SAS veterans
- The Telegraph was unable to independently confirm the document's claims; sources in SAS cast doubt on the information
- The results of the ASIS investigation may be shared with the UK and the US within the "Five Eyes" alliance

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.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Western special forces veterans may have trained Russians for the war in Ukraine](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/veterani-zahidnogo-spetsnazu-mogli-trenuvati-1789004159.html) - Украинское издание RBC перепечатало материал The Telegraph с сохранением ключевых фактов: записка ASIS, упоминание Alfa-Metal, опровержения компании, отказ МО Великобритании от комментариев.
- [Western special forces veterans may have trained Russians to fight in Ukraine - media](https://korrespondent.net/world/worldabus/4910509-veterany-zapadnoho-spetsnaza-mohly-obuchat-rossyian-voevat-v-ukrayne-smy) - Korrespondent.net подтверждает структуру материала: два бывших австралийских спецназовца и один резервист как источники, лагеря в Болгарии и Сербии, стоимость курса ~4000 евро, «высокая степень уверенности» разведки.
- [Western special forces veterans may have trained Russians to wage war against Ukraine — The Telegraph](https://zn.ua/WORLD/veterany-zapadnoho-spetsnaza-vozmozhno-obuchali-rossijan-vedeniju-vojny-protiv-ukrainy-the-telegraph.html) - Zn.ua атрибутирует материал The Telegraph, подтверждает упоминание эмблемы SAS на сайте Alfa-Metal, объявление о поиске британского инструктора, отрицание компанией и «исторические профессиональные контакты» с Alfa Region.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What exactly does the ASIS intelligence note claim?
**A:** The note, prepared for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service on the basis of conversations with two former Australian special forces operators and one active reservist, indicates that Western special forces veterans, including SAS, were offered work as instructors in training camps in Bulgaria and Serbia, where Russian clients underwent training. Intelligence assesses the information with a "high degree of confidence."

### Q: Which training center is mentioned in the document?
**A:** The note explicitly names the Alfa-Metal center in Bulgaria, which offers courses under special forces programs and advanced sniper programs costing around four thousand euros per person. On the center's website, according to The Telegraph, the SAS emblem was posted along with an advertisement seeking a British instructor with special forces experience.

### Q: How is Alfa-Metal reacting to the allegations?
**A:** Alfa-Metal categorically denies that it trained Russian nationals after the start of the Russian invasion, and states that it never hired former SAS operators. The company also initially denied ties with the Russian security company Alfa Region, but after a request from The Telegraph it acknowledged the existence of "historical professional contacts."

### Q: Have these data been independently confirmed?
**A:** No. The Telegraph explicitly states that it was unable to independently confirm the claims set out in the document. Several sources in SAS cast doubt on the information, stating that such actions would contradict the values of the unit. A representative of the UK Ministry of Defence declined to comment. The final conclusion will depend on the results of the ASIS investigation.

### Q: What will happen to the investigation results?
**A:** The intelligence note is the subject of an ASIS investigation. Its results are expected to be shared with the United Kingdom and the United States within the framework of the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance.