Before the war in Ukraine, Igor, 27, from Odesa, used to make handmade leather products, while Oleksiy, 34, from Mykolaiv, owned a car service station. Today, they are among almost 2,000 Ukraine military recruits undergoing five weeks of basic training in the U.K. under an initiative called Operation Interflex. The course, by the U.K. and nine other partner countries, began on June 27, 2022, and trains recruits from Ukraine’s military.
The other nations involved in the initiative are Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Lithuania, and the Netherlands. Training is on at four locations in the U.K.— Yorkshire, Kent, Wiltshire, and Northumberland.
Operation Interflex is a part of the U.K.’s commitment of £2.3 billion for the provision of military aid and support to Ukraine. On August 11, 2022, the U.K. and other key allies agreed at the Copenhagen Conference to expand long-term military support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
Operation Interflex aims to teach weapon handling, range activity, marksmanship, fieldcraft basics, field tactics, battle casualty drills, counter explosives, the laws of armed conflict, first aid, and cyber security awareness. “Our focus is on teaching the abilities to shoot, move, communicate, medicate, and the ability to defend their homeland,” said Major Jürgen Miranda, who is heading the Canadian-U.K. training wing.
‘Learning to defend’
After the war began, Mr. Oleksiy said he worked for a while as a volunteer, repairing cars and helping with spare parts. “Now I am learning to defend Ukraine on a training ground in Britain. We are trained by professional military personnel from Canada, who teach us everything we will need in the future to protect Ukraine,” he said.
Mr. Igor, who has an 86-year-old grandmother at home, was recruited ..
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