The first group of what will become almost 10,000 military personnel was welcomed by British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace
The first cohort of Ukrainian troops have arrived in the UK for specialist military training, with up to 10,000 military personnel expected to take part in the program in the coming months. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace personally greeted the soldiers.
According to a statement released by the British Ministry of Defense on Saturday, Ukrainian servicemen met with the top military official earlier this week.
Wallace described the training program as the next phase of British support for the Ukrainian army.
« Using the world-class expertise of the British military, we will help Ukraine rebuild its forces and step up its resistance as it defends its country’s sovereignty and its right to choose its own future,proclaimed the secretary.
According to the MoD’s own estimates, London has so far spent more than £2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) in military aid for « support Ukraine in its fight against the unprovoked invasion of Russia.”
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Around 1,050 UK staff will deliver the training at a number of undisclosed locations across the UK, with each course lasting several weeks.
According to the ministry, the program was specifically designed to “equip volunteer recruits with little or no military experience with the skills to be effective in front-line combat.”
Among the areas of knowledge covered in the course are weapons handling, first aid on the battlefield, field craftsmanship, patrol tactics as well as the law of armed conflict.
To ensure Ukrainian troops are familiar with the weapons they will be using during training, London had « quickly acquired“AK type assault rifles. Other necessary equipment such as helmets, body armor, field uniforms and boots are also provided by the host nation.
The statement stressed that Britain “has a long history of supporting Ukrainian service personnel,» having trained some 22,000 soldiers between 2015 and 2022.
Russia sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, citing kyiv’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, intended to give the Donetsk and Lugansk regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that kyiv’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to save time andcreate powerful armed forces.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbas republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. kyiv insists the Russian offensive was unprovoked.
