UK training for Ukrainian recruits extended into 2023
Britain is extending its training of Ukrainian troops into 2023 to help the country resist invasion by Russian forces.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the UK had initially offered to train up to 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers to help them sustain their defence in the face of some of the most intensive fighting seen in Europe in decades.
The training is a continuation of the support given to Ukraine that began as far back as 2015, with the UK training more than 22,000 members of the Ukrainian armed forces over the last seven years.
The UK has been delivering training to the most recent cohort of Ukrainian recruits since June, teaching them the skills they need to fight against Russia's invading military.
That training also looks to provide battlefield skills that will enable volunteer soldiers to defend their homeland.
It is aimed at new volunteer recruits joining the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who have little to no previous military experience, and gives them the skills they need to survive and be effective in combat.
The training course, based on the one given to UK Army Reserve infantry, is delivered over a minimum of five weeks and it provides troops with:
- Instruction on weapons handling
- Offensive and defensive tactics
- Law of Armed Conflict awareness
- Range activity and marksmanship
- Patrol techniques
- Medical training (battlefield first aid)
- Force protection when deployed
- Cyber security awareness
- Rural environment training
In October, it was revealed that more than 6,100 Ukrainian troops have trained in the UK since June 2022 as part of Operation Interflex – the UK mission to train Ukrainian forces – according to Armed Forces and Veterans Minister James Heappey.
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