British SAS and US Navy veterans train Russians to fight Ukraine at a military camp in Bulgaria, a report shows.
The Western military veterans were found to have been recruited with “strong trust” to train both Russian citizens and active-duty military personnel, according to an assessment prepared for Five Eyes intelligence services.
The findings emerged after a memo prepared for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) was reportedly leaked. Two former Australian special forces officers and an active-duty reservist said they had been approached to become instructors at training camps in Bulgaria and Serbia, allegedly working with Russians.
The alleged memo states that a camp run by Alfa-Metal Center, a military training company in Mejdeni, northern Bulgaria, hires staff from a “range of backgrounds”, including the SAS, the Australian Commando Regiment, US police and Navy Seals.
Alfa-Metal’s international center offers special forces training and advanced sniper courses for around €5,000 (£4,292) per person. It markets itself to “major security company personnel,” targeting bodyguards, presidential security services and private military companies.
But the leaked report states that since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, private training camps in Europe have continued to train Russian citizens.
According to the whistleblowers, the camp continued training Russian citizens in 2025. While the Alfa-Metal center website features photos of the SAS and US Navy Seals logos in tribute to the ‘expert’ instructors from ‘around the world’.
Under both British and Australian law, it is illegal for former special forces personnel to use their training to assist a foreign state.
Alfa-Metal, a military training company in Mejdeni, northern Bulgaria, is said to be hiring British SAS veterans as instructors (Photo: Alfa-Metal center social media advert)
Alfa-Metal’s international center offers special forces training and advanced sniper courses for around €5,000 (£4,292) per person (Photo: Alfa-Metal center social media advert)
It is understood the company has also posted a vacancy on LinkedIn for SAS veterans to work in the Bulgarian centre.
The ad placed six months ago, as reported by The Telegraph, sought “a British citizen” with “a strong operational background and proven instructional experience.”
“We are currently looking for an experienced SAS instructor to join our team,” the company wrote. ‘If you’re passionate about training, professionalism and raising standards, we’d love to hear from you.’
The center describes itself on its website as ‘the Bulgarian representative office’ for ‘the British Alfa Metal Ltd’. It claims to have trained more than 7,000 professionals.
It also wrote that it was introducing drone training courses in 2025 after claiming it had become a certified aviation training center. Advanced drone training can cost up to €5,500 (£4,723).
According to Western officials, Russia suffered 1.4 million battlefield casualties, including up to 500,000 fatalities. It is clear that Moscow is losing 6,000 more soldiers per month than current recruitment levels.
It is believed the leaked memo is now being investigated by Australia’s SIS, with a source disclosing the findings likely to be shared with the UK and US via the Five Eyes intelligence sharing network.
The Daily Mail has not been able to independently verify the memo’s claims.
It is understood that the company has also posted a vacancy for SAS veterans to work at the Bulgarian center (photo: social media advertisement of the Alfa-Metal center)
The Alfa-Metal center website features photos of the SAS and US Navy Seals logos in tribute to the ‘expert’ instructors from ‘around the world’
Some SAS sources rejected allegations that veterans had been used, describing such a move as a betrayal of their values.
One said the SAS is a ‘small community’ and ‘people talk’, adding: ‘If people did that we would know… I would be incredibly surprised and deeply disappointed.’
The findings will come later Russian leader Vladimir Putin broke a 72-hour lull in the war between Russia and Ukraine by launching attacks on Kiev.
The temporary ceasefire was maintained while U.S. envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff visited Moscow and Kiev this month with a plan to end the four-year-old war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “senseless terror” after the devastating rocket salvo caused more civilian deaths in Ukraine.
Hours after the ballistics barrage, Ukraine warned British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting that an estimated €23 billion in vital funding pledged by its allies remains outstanding.
Russia has replaced massive nighttime barrages with near-merciless attacks by a small number of fast, aircraft-powered drones, which Ukrainian defenses are struggling to counter due to a shortage of air defense missiles.
At least two people were killed and ten were injured in the airstrikes on Kiev. About 31 of Russia’s 32 cruise missiles were intercepted, but as Ukrainian officials admitted, an undisclosed number of ballistic missiles evaded their defenses.
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner (L) and US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (R) were received by Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev (center)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on Western allies to increase their support to counter Russian aerial bombardments.
On Tuesday, President Zelensky said: “Russia has deliberately tried to calculate maximum damage to human lives. No attack against Ukraine and against life can go unpunished. Russia must be stopped.
‘Every day we advocate with our partners about our need for interceptors. Ballistic missiles remain extremely difficult to intercept.”
President Zelensky thanked Germany for donating two Patriot launch systems from its arsenal and Britain for a £100 million winter munitions package. But overall, Western donations are falling short of Ukraine’s needs.
Hours later, at the latest meeting of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group, the country’s defense chief, Yevhenii Khmara, warned Western ministers, including Britain’s Wes Streeting:
‘The unity of Europe, the unity of the whole world, is necessary for us to carry out our war plan. The plan is only as good as the resources to implement it and financial decisions are needed today.
‘Of the 70 billion euros in securities pledged in Ankara [at the last NATO summit]€62 billion has been provided, including bilateral aid and the European Union loan. The additional 8 billion is still outstanding.
‘However, I would like to emphasize that the total defense deficit is EUR 23 billion. I ask you to make the necessary financial decisions before November so that we can see results on the battlefield this winter.”
Mr Streeting responded: “We owe it to the Ukrainian people to give them every support through what will inevitably be a challenging winter and to demonstrate to the aggressors in Moscow that our commitment to Ukraine remains steadfast.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is trying to achieve the ‘maximum damage to life’ through air strikes
“Minister Khmara has been very clear about Ukraine’s need for 300 Patriot missiles from partner stockpiles, 500 air-to-air interceptors and £2 billion of drones.”
Britain is also running out of time to fulfill its promise to supply Ukraine with 120,000 drones this year. Mr Streeting said more than 25,000 have been delivered so far in 2026, with thousands more to be delivered before winter.
On Tuesday evening, official defense sources confirmed that Britain still plans to meet the 120,000 target as deliveries are typically weighed towards the end of the year. However, according to sources, filling the 23 billion euro gap will require a major effort from Ukraine’s allies.
Russia’s latest attacks targeted critical infrastructure in Kiev, Odesa and Kharkov, and Sumy, where a train station was hit. In total, Ukraine intercepted 175 air munitions. The country rarely discloses how many Kremlin nuclear warheads have evaded defenses.
Buildings were destroyed and fires broke out in at least five districts of Kiev. Britain’s latest support package includes air defense interceptors, large-caliber artillery rounds and drones. While Ukraine could use the £100m to buy US Patriot defense missiles.
The provisions were unveiled as Romania confirmed that its security services had thwarted a Russian sabotage mission on its territory.
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson said: ‘It has been long-standing policy of successive governments not to comment on UK Special Forces or intelligence matters.
“We have robust legislation to address foreign hostile activity, and the National Security Act gives our intelligence agencies and law enforcement the tools they need to detect and disrupt threats.”
The Alfa-Metal center has been contacted for comment.
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