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UK Defense Ministry: 18,000 Ukrainian infantry soldiers trained in country so far

by The Kyiv Independent news desk July 15, 2023 8:19 PM 1 min read
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (C) meet Ukrainian troops being trained to command Challenger 2 tanks at a military facility in Lulworth, Dorset, in southwestern England on Feb. 8, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Matthews/AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

In one year, the U.K. has trained 18,000 Ukrainian volunteer infantrymen under the Operation Interflex training program, the country's defense ministry reported on July 15.

Since the beginning of the program launched by the U.K. government on July 26 last year, Ukrainian soldiers have been trained how to "survive and be lethal in their fight against the illegal invasion of their homeland."

A year ago, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom Vadym Prystaiko had said in an interview with Suspilne media that the U.K. planned to train 10,000 Ukrainian volunteers aged 25 to 45 who have agreed to defend the country on the battlefield every 120 days.

“Most of them do not have a basic military education, and were not in the army.,” Prystaiko said. "They dig trenches, learn how to handle weapons, and drive combat vehicles."

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