Military chief says UK to step up support and protect Ukraine 'much more effectively' in 2023

The head of the UK military says UK support for Ukraine will be stepped up as the war dominates the military landscape heading into 2023.

The Chief of the Defence Staff has praised British personnel and says they will aim to train more than 20,000 Ukrainian troops in the UK next year, continuing the support for Ukraine in its defence against Russian invasion.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin says the UK Armed Forces will spend more on supporting Ukrainian air defence, working with international partners in response to the "hideous attacks" which are, effectively, on civilians.

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It comes as Ukraine's air force said that it was able to destroy 30 of at least 35 self-exploding drones that Russia launched across the country from the eastern side of the Azov Sea.

The UK military chief says he also wants to continue modernising all three services.

In reference to the Integrated Review, Admiral Radakin said "we need to keep getting on with that" – whether it means bringing in large pieces of Royal Navy kit like the announcements on the new Type 26 ships, making progress on the Army's troubled Ajax programme or paying off C-130 aircraft to make way for the RAF's A400M planes.

The CDS also stressed the importance of enhancing the military's digital, space and cyber capabilities to become a "better connected" military and be even more effective on the frontline.

There is a "cultural agenda" too, he said, which includes a search for talent and recruitment from the whole of the nation.

He said that the talent drive must be as "broad as possible" and that the military doesn't want to exclude anybody.

Reflecting on 2022, Admiral Radakin thanked members of the Armed Forces for the role they played in the "very sad" funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, saying "both our duty to His Majesty the King, our respect to Her Majesty the Queen and reflecting what I think was part of the mood of the nation".