British Ministry of Defence announced that around 2000 Ukrainian soldiers were trained by the British military instructors, throughout the last fiscal year. The above means, as the government noted, that the assumed objectives have been achieved. However, the representatives of the British Ministry of Defence added that another 300 Ukrainian troops are going to go through the military training provided by the British Army, until the end of this fiscal year.

The fact that Great Britain was going to provide assistance in training of 2000 Ukrainian soldiers was announced by the British Secretary of Defence Michael Fallon, during his visit to Kiev, in the summer last year. According to Fallon, military instruction provided by the British Army emphasizes the British involvement in the Ukrainian struggle for “independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”. The above statement is seen as a clear signal, suggesting that the United Kingdom supports Ukraine, in the light of the crisis in that country.

During the training activities, the British instructors pass significant amounts knowledge to the recruits, within the scope of the IED and mine detection and disposal procedures, urbanized areas defence tactics, first aid, as well as basics of logistics and operational planning. The United Kingdom also announced that provision of training will be continued throughout the upcoming fiscal year.

16 British teams that provide training for the Ukrainians are currently on deployment. In total, 100 troops of the British Army are involved in the operations, realizing the training programme at ten facilities. Besides the training, the British government also provided the Ukrainian Armed Forces with GBP 1 million worth of equipment, including head protection gear, GPS devices, night vision goggles, tents and warm clothing.