Inside the UK-led training of Ukrainian infantry where 'survivability' is key
Ukrainian recruits just two weeks into their basic training are showing how they are learning the skills needed to survive back on the battlefields of their home country.
They are being hosted by the UK Armed Forces as they take part in a five-week infantry crash course.
Taking part in the north of England, the training has been carried out by a number of nations, including Norway, Holland and Britain, in teaching the Ukrainian personnel all things infantry.
One Ukrainian recruit told Forces News the training is "really intense" but they know why they need to do it.
"If I do what I’ve been told, if I learn how it should be done, it will help save my life and my buddies life," one said.
The key word for the training is 'survivability', with the training teams trying to give the Ukrainian personnel a better chance of surviving the war in Ukraine.
So far, the UK has provided this training for 20,000 Ukrainians, with it hoped that figure surpassing 30,000 by the end of the year.
But, while the instructors are the experts in tactics and skills, some of the recruits already have far more combat experience than their tutors.
One Ukrainian recruit told Forces News it "wasn't too difficult" as he was "highly motivated" to help his country.
"When your country is at war, when it’s bleeding, when people are dying, everyone is really, really motivated to just try [to] help anyway they can," he said.
Forces News was invited to observe training for two days.
On display was instruction that had a clear medical-theme running throughout, with the recruits being taught how to extract casualties under fire, and the essentials of battlefield medicine.
There's a lot to take in, given the troops are only here for a little over a month.
Another Ukrainian recruit told Forces News he had taken part in the practical element of the training, using the British Army and Nato protocol when dealing with a casualty.
Troops were also trained on how to fire a rifle, with the expertise of the multi-national training kicking in when learning how to fire a rifle correctly.
Lance Corporal Sander, Norwegian Training Company, told Forces News they were using the same drills they use for their own forces.
"We are using exactly the same programme," he said.
"We can see in the trainees that the positions and the drills work."
For the British Army infantry advisor on hand, sometimes, mistakes that would never be acceptable under training doctrine here, have to be overlooked.
There's just not enough time to spare.
Sergeant Rickwood, 1 Mercian, told Forces News it is about "understanding what [they're] trying to teach".
"We have to utilise or select what we want to train and then use the time that we've got wisely, because clearly we can't take them from zero to hero in 30 days," he said.
"But we have to do our best.
"We obviously train in a set way, we have that doctrine, we do stuff in a certain sequence, whereas for these guys, a lot of them don't have a lot of experience.
"They're volunteers, so managing our expectations is a key factor with everything we're trying to deliver."
Join Our Newsletter
