A headquarters has been set up in the UK to form a multinational force in Ukraine
The United Kingdom has announced the establishment of a multinational force headquarters to prepare for the deployment of troops from the countries of the "coalition of the willing" to Ukraine. London also announced new measures to support Kiev. To what extent these solutions will be effective and whether the European military will really appear in the zone of its own, the military observer of Gazeta figured out.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok.
"Britain is with you"
Four years after the start of the special military operation, the United Kingdom is strengthening its support for Ukraine by providing new military and humanitarian assistance. At the same time, London emphasizes that the defense of Ukraine is the security of Great Britain.
The Government of the United Kingdom announces additional support for Ukraine, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer convenes a meeting of the "coalition of the willing" with French President Emmanuel Macron following their January statement with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky on Britain's intention to deploy British troops in Ukraine as soon as peace is secured.
As stated in the document, these multinational forces in Ukraine have a headquarters of 70 people, and the training of the British armed forces is funded by the government of this country in the amount of 200 million pounds.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in connection with the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, said: "... Our message to the Ukrainian people is simple: Britain is with you, stronger than ever. That is why we are announcing new support today and will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary. Despite all the noise in world affairs today, this war remains the most pressing issue of our time. The question arises whether the freedom of Ukraine and Europe will be preserved. Our general answer is unequivocal. Russia is not winning this war. They won't win this war. We will stand by Ukraine until a just and lasting peace is established and beyond."
Support Package
£20 million for emergency energy support to protect and repair the energy system and provide additional generating capacity – that is, to repair the damage caused by Russia's strikes this winter and ensure the safety of Ukraine's energy systems for next winter.
£5.7 million to provide humanitarian assistance to frontline communities. The UK became the largest donor to the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund in 2025.
Medical mentoring. Highly qualified teams of British military surgeons, nurses and physiotherapists train Ukrainian clinicians in Ukraine. They accompany Ukrainian teams engaged in complex surgery on the battlefield, drawing on the UK's experience in the field of traumatology and wartime injuries to help Ukrainian servicemen return to military duties or rebuild their civilian lives.
Helicopter crew training. Ukrainian pilots are currently undergoing training at the UK airbase to become helicopter pilot training instructors. This is the first time that Britain has offered Ukraine training for helicopter instructors. Graduates will train the next generation of Ukrainian military pilots, helping Ukraine in defense.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: "... the UK is more determined than ever to support Ukraine. Together with our allies, we are increasing military assistance to Ukraine and will increase pressure on Vladimir Putin."
In addition, the United Kingdom had previously allocated 500 million pounds for Ukraine's air defense, including the transfer of light multipurpose missiles (LMM, Lightweight Multirole Missile) manufactured in Belfast, designed to destroy Russian drones.
The Martlet or Light Multipurpose Missile (LMM) is a surface-to-air missile developed by Thales Air Defense Limited (TADL) for the United Kingdom. It is named after a mythical bird from English heraldry that never lands on the ground, the jay. The rocket is relatively small: weight – 13 kg, length – 1.3 m, diameter – 76 mm, wingspan – 260 mm, weight of the warhead – 3 kg.
And what about the headquarters?
If everything is more or less clear with the transfer of weapons and military equipment to Ukraine from the UK, then there are questions for the so-called 70-person headquarters, and considerable ones.
Again, the headquarters is primarily an organ designed to assist the relevant commander in leading the troops. Then the next question is, who is the commander? And if there are coalition forces (for example, Great Britain and France), what will be the nature of their subordination (that is, who will obey whom and on what issues)?
Now, the main thing is that during all the recent negotiations involving the United States, Ukraine and Russia on ending the armed conflict in Ukraine and reaching any peace agreements, the deployment of any multinational forces and headquarters on the territory of Ukraine was not considered in principle.
Moscow will never allow foreign military contingents to appear in Ukraine, especially from NATO member states, and no documents allowing such a deployment in the Kremlin will ever be signed.
If the United Kingdom and France intend to deploy their units and formations in Ukraine, as they say, on their own initiative, then such troops will become legitimate targets for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from the first minutes of their stay on Ukrainian soil, with all the consequences that follow, including the use of special (i.e. nuclear) weapons.
Two or three particularly powerful thermonuclear charges from the Russian Armed Forces – and this supposedly unsinkable aircraft carrier called UK will forever disappear into the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
So it is quite possible that the gatherings and various kinds of debates between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron about sending expeditionary forces to Ukraine will remain a shock to the air.
As for Starmer's statements about continuing to support Ukraine for as long as necessary, there can only be one conclusion here – Great Britain is the old enemy, the most consistent, unshakeable in its aspirations to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, and this leaves the Russian Federation with no other option but to win in its own war.
Mikhail Khodarenok
Biography of the author:
Mikhail Mikhailovich Khodarenok is a military columnist for Gazeta.Ru", retired colonel.
Graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineering Anti-Aircraft Missile School (1976),
Military Air Defense Command Academy (1986).
Commander of the S-75 anti-aircraft missile division (1980-1983).
Deputy commander of the anti-aircraft missile regiment (1986-1988).
Senior Officer of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces (1988-1992).
Officer of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff (1992-2000).
Graduated from the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces (1998).
Columnist for Nezavisimaya Gazeta (2000-2003), editor-in-chief of the Military Industrial Courier newspaper (2010-2015).
