The training encompassed various skills including weapons handling, battlefield first aid, and patrol tactics, benefiting individuals with limited or no prior military experience….reports Asian Lite News
UK defence ministry said that over the past year, more than 17,000 Ukrainian recruits have received training from Britain and its allies to aid Kyiv in countering Russia’s invasion.
These recruits, coming from diverse backgrounds, underwent a “gruelling” five-week program that transformed them “from civilians into soldiers.”
The initiative, known as Operation Interflex and led by the UK, involved partner nations such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, and The Netherlands.
The training encompassed various skills including weapons handling, battlefield first aid, and patrol tactics, benefiting individuals with limited or no prior military experience.
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace expressed admiration for the determination and resilience displayed by Ukrainian recruits who travelled to the UK to train alongside British and international forces.
The UK and its partners commit to providing essential support in helping Ukraine defend against Russian aggression for as long as necessary, he said.
Initially aiming to train 10,000 soldiers, the program has been extended, with a target of training around 30,000 recruits by 2024.
The British defence ministry noted that intelligence reports indicate the training has significantly enhanced Ukraine’s combat capabilities.
Continuous communication between the UK Armed Forces and Ukraine allows for course improvements based on the most essential battlefield skills required.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has claimed that nearly 200 Russian soldiers were killed and a variety of equipment had also been destroyed in the past one day.
Although the claim was not officially verified, the military went on to say that in the last 48 hours, the frontlines across the war-torn nation witnessed heavy combat, with more than 20 engagements occurring in areas in the Donetsk region — chiefly Lyman, Marinka and Bakhmut, CNN reported.
In its latest update, the General Staff said the Russians also carried out 25 air strikes on Sunday.
There had been heavy Russian artillery and mortar fire in the Kupyansk area of Kharkiv, where the Russians have been trying to break through for over a month, the military added.
The General Staff insisted all Russian efforts to take territory had been foiled.
Across the Donetsk frontlines, the fighting was characterised by exchanges of indirect fire, but with little movement.
However, the Ukrainians say they are on the front foot around Bakhmut.
“(Troops) hold the initiative, continue assault operations and push the enemy back. Over the last day, the Ukrainian forces advanced 600 to 1,000 meters on the southern and northern flanks around Bakhmut,” CNN quoted Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Eastern Grouping of the Armed Forces, as saying.