Ukrainian servicemen fire at BM-21 multiple rocket launcher A town near the town of Lisichansk, Luhansk region, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine on June 12, 2022. REUTERS / Gleb Garanich
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LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Ukrainian troops have completed military training in Britain, including multiple missile systems (MLRS), which the British government is supplying to help counter Russian artillery tactics.
The media was invited to film Ukrainian soldiers loading and firing 105mm light cannons during an exercise in Salisbury, South England, part of a British-led program undertaken by more than 450 Ukrainian forces backed by New Zealand. . MLRS systems have also been shown in use.
The training is part of a comprehensive package of international support since Russia’s invasion on February 24, as the West seeks to help Ukraine repel Russian forces by providing increasingly advanced weapons systems and skills to use them.
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Moscow says it is conducting a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine and liberate it from “fascists.” Ukraine and its Western allies claim that Russia is waging an unprovoked aggressive war.
“It’s a force multiplier,” Captain James Oliphant of the Royal Artillery, who is involved in the three-week MLRS training element, told reporters.
“Because it’s a tracked vehicle – their missile systems have wheels – this will give them more maneuverability, which will help them survive.”
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told NATO leaders that his country needed more weapons and money to defend itself as Russia stepped up its attacks on several fronts. Read more
During a surprise visit to Kyiv this month, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – praised by Zelensky as a “great friend” – announced a separate training operation for Ukrainian forces, with the potential to train up to 10,000 troops every 120 days.
The British coaches praised the attitude of their Ukrainian colleagues.
“In the beginning, their appetite was, as you can imagine, extremely high and very needy, but as they became more attuned and used to being able to control the system, it began to calm down,” Oliphant said.
“Now they are in a position where the battery commander himself exercises his troops according to his own doctrine and tactics.”
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Written by William James Edited by Gareth Jones
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