A leaked intelligence assessment reportedly found with “strong confidence” that Western military veterans, including alleged former British SAS personnel, were recruited to train Russian nationals and active-duty personnel, claims the training company named in the report disputes.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
A leaked intelligence assessment prepared for Five Eyes agencies alleges that Western military veterans, including former special forces personnel, have been recruited to train Russian nationals and active-duty military personnel at camps in Eastern Europe.
The assessment, obtained by The Telegraph, reportedly concluded with “strong confidence” that Western veterans had participated in training Russians amid the war in Ukraine. The newspaper said it could not independently verify the memo’s claims.
The document was prepared for the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and drew in part on interviews with two former Australian special forces operatives and an active-duty reservist who said they had been approached about working as instructors at training camps in Bulgaria and Serbia.
According to the memo, a combat training facility operated by military training company Alfa-Metal in Mejdeni, northern Bulgaria, employed instructors from “a range of backgrounds,” including personnel said to have served in Britain’s Special Air Service and Australia’s Commando Regiment.
Those interviewed for the assessment said current employees told them Russian nationals were still receiving training at the facility as recently as 2025.
Alfa-Metal’s promotional material had displayed the SAS logo, according to the report, and the company advertised on LinkedIn roughly six months ago for “an experienced SAS instructor to join our team.”
The company strongly denied the central allegations.
Alfa-Metal said it had never employed a former SAS member and had not trained Russian citizens since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It also initially denied having links to Alfa Region, a St. Petersburg-based Russian private security company that advertises the Bulgarian facility on its website.
After The Telegraph pointed to online material referring to a partnership agreement, Alfa-Metal acknowledged what it described as “historical professional contacts” with Alfa Region.
People familiar with the SAS also questioned the claims.
A senior SAS source told the newspaper he was unaware of any former members of the regiment training Russians.
“The SAS is a small community, and people talk,” the source said. “If people were doing that, we’d know.”
Retired SAS Col. David White said claims of having served with the elite unit are frequently exaggerated or fabricated.
“If I had a pound for everyone who said they were former members of the SAS, I would be a very wealthy man,” White said.
The Australian Secret Intelligence Service is investigating the assessment, according to the report.
The allegations are potentially significant because former special forces personnel in Britain and Australia face legal restrictions on using sensitive military skills or training to assist foreign states.
The leaked memo therefore raises questions about whether Western combat experience may have been transferred to Russian personnel through private training operations, but the core allegations remain disputed and have not been independently verified by The Telegraph.
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