A first batallion of over 600 Ukrainian soldiers completed U.S.-led training this week, including large-scale manoeuvers that could help Ukraine in its upcoming operations against Russia, the Pentagon said on Friday.
Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder said in a statement that the Ukrainians completed combined arms training on the M2 Bradley infantry armoured vehicle at a US base in Germany,
The United States has agreed to provide more than 100 Bradley vehicles — armoured infantry vehicles armed with 25mm cannons as well as an anti-tank missile launcher — to Ukraine, which is expected to launch a counteroffensive against Russian troops in the coming months.
Ryder said about 635 Ukrainians completed the roughly five weeks of training, which included basic soldier tasks such as marksmanship, but also medical training.
A mechanised battalion and an artillery battalion began their training a fortnight ago, and two more battalions are expected to begin theirs next week.
The United States, which has already trained Ukrainian soldiers on the use of various weapons pledged to Kyiv, announced the expansion of its training programme late last year.
This type of training took place in Ukraine before Russia invaded in February 2022.
