General Staff: Australian instructors start training Ukrainian soldiers in UK

Australia’s Defense Forces have started basic military training for Ukrainian recruits in the U.K. under Operation Kudu, Ukraine’s General Staff reported on Feb. 6.

Seventy Australian personnel came to the U.K. in late January to join a U.K.-led multinational mission named Operation Interflex, which has already trained about 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the ABC.

The Australian instructors will train Ukrainians “in urban, wooded and basic infantry tactics,” the commanding officer of the 5th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gilmore, told the ABC.

Australia has provided Ukraine with $475 million in military aid since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the publication added.

The U.K. Defense Ministry said on Jan. 29 that the Ukrainian tank crews had arrived in the country to begin training on Challenger 2 main battle tanks. Fourteen Challenger 2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in March, according to Alex Chalk, a top official at the U.K. Defense Department.

In a joint statement of 9 European nations known as the Tallinn Pledge, the U.K. promised to train 20,000 Ukrainian servicemen in 2023.

The U.S. has also recently stepped up its training of Ukrainian soldiers to teach military tactics at an American base in Germany and instruct on how to operate a complex air defense system in Oklahoma, according to military officials cited by NYT.

Reuters: US officials advise Ukraine to hold back on offensive until training for new weapons is complete

The Kyiv Independent