New combat training for Ukrainian forces by US forces began in Germany this week with the goal of returning a battalion of 500 soldiers to Ukraine to fight Russian forces, said General Mark Milley.
The chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley, said the training and new weapons would help his country’s forces regain territory occupied by Russia in the war some 11 months ago. Milly visited Ukrainians training with US troops in Germany on Monday.
“This assistance is very important to allow Ukraine to defend itself,” Milly said. “And I’m hoping we can wrap this up here in a short time.”
While in Germany he said washington post Training is “not your run-of-the-mill rotation”. He added, “This is one of those moments where if you want to make a difference, this is it.”
Elaborating, Milly said it would “take a little while” for newly trained Ukrainian soldiers to be combat-ready and on the battlefield. ‘It will take, he said.
The goal is to get all incoming weapons and equipment to Ukraine so that the newly trained troops can use it “before the spring rains.”
A spokeswoman for Milly said the training was an extension of the 2014 training program provided by the United States to the Ukrainian military. Russia annexed Crimea that year following protests that turned into a revolution that overthrew the Russia-friendly government in Kyiv.
“The urgency was clear,” Colonel David Butler told The Washington Post. “These soldiers go off to defend their country in battle.”
Programs include classroom instruction and fieldwork, starting with small teams and progressively larger units. It culminates in a more complex combat exercise that brings together entire battalions and headquarters units.
Until now, the United States has focused on providing the Ukrainian military with its more pressing needs on the battlefield. In particular, how to use the various Western weapons systems that are pouring into Ukraine.
The United States has already trained more than 3,100 Ukrainian military personnel in how to use and maintain specific weapons and other equipment, including howitzers, armored vehicles, and a high-mobility artillery rocket system known as HIMARS. Other countries also conduct training in the weapons they offer.
Milley said the U.S. conducted such exercises before the Russian invasion last February. But when the war began, all US National Guard and Special Operations forces training inside Ukraine left the country. This new effort, conducted by the 7th Army Training Command, US Army Europe Africa, is a continuation of what they were doing before the invasion. Other European allies also offer training.
more fighting
The new order comes as Ukrainian forces face heavy fighting in East Donetsk. In the Donetsk region, Russian forces claim control of the small salt mining town of Soledar. Ukraine claims its own forces are still fighting in the area, but if Moscow’s forces take control of Soledar, the larger forces of Bakhmut, where fighting has been raging for months, will continue to fight. It will allow them to approach the city little by little.
“They are getting very serious attacks every few weeks, attacks on civilian infrastructure,” Millie told the Post. Attacking infrastructure is itself a war crime.”
Russia also launched a barrage of missile attacks over a wide area, including Kyiv, the northeastern city of Kharkiv and the southeastern city of Dnipro, with the death toll reported in one apartment at 30.
At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: Said German news agency Handelsblatt reported Sunday that more “heavy equipment” from Western countries is likely to be sent to Ukraine in the “near future”.
“We are at a decisive stage in the war,” added Stoltenberg, according to the translation. “It is therefore important to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Jack Phillips is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York. He covers breaking news.