In the mid-1990s, Russian military officers underwent training at British army facilities, where they learned to operate armored vehicles, practiced firing different types of weapons and were introduced to the UK military training system. According to Declassified, London funded the program, while the British Ministry of Defence viewed the initiative as a success for both countries.

In September 1995, 37 Russian army officers arrived in Britain for a two-week course aimed mainly at mid-ranking personnel. Declassified reported the details after reviewing documents from the UK Ministry of Defence that were later declassified.

The program covered several areas. Along with practical military instruction and joint training, the participants received guidance on defence management and studied English. The military component included tank driving and weapons training.

The initiative was financed by the government of then-Prime Minister John Major. According to the documents, British authorities intended the program to support the development of professionally trained Russian armed forces operating under democratic accountability.

During their stay, the officers were also taken to several major British military institutions. Their itinerary included the Royal School of Artillery, the Royal Armoured Corps Centre, the training centre in Warminster and the army officer training academy at Sandhurst.

The cooperation extended well beyond that single visit. Information published by the British Parliament shows that by 1998 London had spent about £3.6 million on retraining programs for Russian military officers. One of the main goals was to help servicemen leaving the armed forces move into civilian employment.

The scale of the project expanded over the following years. In 2002, Jack Hemsley, who coordinated the program for the British Ministry of Defence, said that since the initiative began in October 1995, the defence ministries of Britain and Russia had helped retrain 13,000 Russian servicemen preparing to leave active duty.

More than three decades later, military contacts between Moscow and London returned to the British media agenda. In August 2026, The Times reported that Britain was interested in restoring communication with Russia’s military leadership in order to reduce the risk of incidents that could trigger direct armed conflict between the two countries.

The most recent contact between Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and the then UK Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Tony Radakin, took place in September 2022.