Military instructors from the UK may go to western Ukraine

The British military leadership is considering the possibility of sending military instructors to Ukraine to train recruits.

About this reports The Times, citing informed interlocutors in British and Ukrainian circles. Sources said plans under discussion could see small groups of British instructors travel to western Ukraine to provide intensive basic training for recruits before they go to the front.

Two of the publication's interlocutors claim that this would solve some of the logistical problems associated with sending Ukrainian military personnel to British bases for training, as well as save money.

One British defense source told reporters that sending British troops to Ukraine, rather than training at military bases in the UK, would be “cheaper for us and better for them”:

“We could have [учения] It’s faster there, and it would be very far from the front line, in secluded places, so the risk would be much lower.”

The Times' Ukrainian interlocutor noted that moving the exercises to Ukraine could become a “powerful military-political signal” for other countries and for the Russian Federation. He expressed hope that this would become a “powerful deterrent.”

One of the interlocutors also notes that the British military will also learn combat skills from Ukrainian fighters and have the opportunity to test the latest weapons that are being developed for the war.

It is worth recalling that recently the former head of the UK Ministry of Defense Ben Wallace said: the country must send troops to help train and support the Ukrainian army.

As is known, the discussion of NATO troops on Ukrainian territory was started by French President Emmanuel Macron, who in February admitted that he had invited Western states to send their military personnel to Ukraine. Some states have publicly supported the idea or expressed interest in it. But the vast majority, including the former secretary general of the alliance, rejected this possibility.

In May, The New York Times reported that some NATO member countries were privately discussing the possibility of sending military instructors or contractors to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian military and help repair equipment.

Meanwhile, analysts ISW Citing The Washington Post, South Korean and Ukrainian officials said North Korean soldiers are already operating alongside Russian troops in Ukraine. A Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman said individual North Korean officers are monitoring Russian troops and studying the battlefield in Russia-occupied Ukraine, but Ukraine has not yet seen North Korean units operating in Ukraine.

“The Ukrainian official added that “several thousand” North Korean infantrymen are being trained on Russian territory, and that the Russian military command could transfer them to the front line in Ukraine before the end of 2024 or to the border areas of Russia to free up Russian “reserves” for participation in military operations on the territory of Ukraine,” writes ISW.

It is noted that the North Korean military is likely operating in the occupied Donetsk region. Analysts also recall that as a result of a recent missile strike near Donetsk Several North Korean officers were killed.

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