LONDON: nearly the previous year, Britain and other allies have trained nearly 17,000 Ukrainian recruits to assist Kiev in fighting Russia’s incursion, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The recruits, who came from a variety of backgrounds, all went through a “gruelling” five-week programme that the ministry claimed changed them “from civilians to soldiers.”
In June of last year, the United Kingdom and nine partner countries – Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, and the Netherlands – launched a recruitment effort for new volunteer recruits to Ukraine’s Armed Forces.
The recruits, who had little to no prior military experience, were taught a variety of abilities, including weapons handling, battlefield first aid, and patrol tactics, as part of a training programme led by the United Kingdom.
“The determination and resilience of Ukrainian recruits from all walks of life who arrive on British soil to train to fight alongside our British and international forces is humbling to witness,” said UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.
“The United Kingdom and our international partners will continue to provide this critical assistance, assisting Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression for as long as it takes.”
Britain first promised to train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers in fighting skills based on basic soldier training in the United Kingdom.
According to the British defence ministry, the programme has already been expanded and is on schedule to train 30,000 soldiers by 2024.
According to intelligence, the training has made “a significant difference to Ukraine’s combat effectiveness.”
“The UK Armed Forces maintains close communication with Ukraine to improve and evolve the course based on the skills most needed on the battlefield,” according to the ministry.
Source: AFP
