The British Army has been training Ukrainian troops in mental health first aid, it has been revealed.

Earlier this year as an extension of Op Interflex, the British-led multinational operation to train the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the British military started quietly teaching Ukrainian officers and commanders how to detect and manage signs of battle stress in their soldiers.

The Combat Stress Signposting Course (CSSC) was launched following a rise in recruits reporting trauma exposure and mental health struggles and was initiated on the request of Ukraine’s armed forces moral and psychological support department.

In September 2023, the trainees who attended Op Interflex had the highest combat experience to date at that point with 91 per cent of that training cohort having prior experience.

Figures showed that 91 per cent of them had experienced indirect fire, 69 per cent had experienced close quarters combat and 74 per cent had treated battlefield casualties. 

The immediate impression was the group had combat fatigue with several showing mental health troubles.

As combat mental resilience practitioners, who are officially termed control stress operators, the Ukrainian commanders will be responsible for helping their soldiers manage the stresses of war.