Norwegian Soldiers Training Ukrainian Recruits in Great Britain – NRK Urix – Foreign News & Documentaries

In a field in the south of England, progress is underway. Approximately 200 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained.

This is their last training in the recruitment school, which lasted five weeks, led by British soldiers.

– I was a civilian before the war and lived my own life, the self-proclaimed Ukrainian “Panda” told NRK.

Unable to continue as before when Russia invaded his country, Muhandis fell into the Ukrainian forces.

The British have been training Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine since 2015, but moved the training to Britain after the war broke out.

Since June, they have trained 5,700 soldiers. Now they are expanding the training program with the help of trainers from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Holland, Canada, New Zealand and Latvia.

A total of 19 thousand Ukrainians will become soldiers on British soil. Pandas are soon on their way to war in Ukraine.

– Are you ready for war?

– We learned Tactical, medical and psychological training. But also international law that applies in war. I’m ready for the match and will show everything I’ve learned here, says the engineer.

norwegian education

At another camp elsewhere in Great Britain, this week Norwegian instructors begin their first recruiting school for Ukrainian soldiers.

When NRK visited the camp last week, they were on their way to train themselves in Ukrainian weapons.

The Ukrainian defense uses the AK 47, also known as the Kalashnikov. It is not the same as in the Norwegian Armed Forces, and the Norwegian instructors themselves have to learn how to handle the weapon before they can teach it to others.

The contribution from Norway consists of between 50 and 100 soldiers and will initially last until June of next year.

Home Guard leads the operation, and Ralph Fosse is the operations manager. He says that they took over the task from the British in a short time, and therefore it is the soldiers from the Telemark Battalion of the Northern Brigade who carry out the first course. Later, crews from the National Guard take over the task.

winter training

DrUkrainian conscripts who have started their training now will finish at the end of November. Then they are sent back to Ukraine and into the war when winter comes.

– DrThere’s been war in the Ukrainian winter before, and it’s been very difficult for forces that have been in the mud and frost of Ukraine and have been fighting before, Lars says.

He’s the second instructor in the Telemark Battalion, and knows how difficult the winter months can be for the soldiers they’re training for now.

But there are some differences between Ukrainians who come to the UK as recruits, and young Norwegians who go to enlist in schools in Norway:

• They are older.
• They have come from a life as a taxi driver, lawyer, journalist, engineer and other professions in all walks of life.
• They have great motivation to defend their country in a constant war.

The British appreciate the Norwegian contribution. Kempley Buchan-Smith is the Operations Manager for a recruiting school in southern England, and he told NRK that the Norwegian coaches have gained very important experience.

As we now enter the winter months, their knowledge of the cold is invaluable in ensuring that Ukrainians are as prepared as possible for a harsh winter war, he says.

The mock attack is over. The wounded soldiers were scattered on the ground. Healthy people pity them with newly learned first aid, while coaches ignore the whole thing.

The last day of the course is over. Next time, it will be the battlefield of Ukraine, and it is no longer an exercise.