This footage shows a Ukrainian soldier praising the British troops he has been training with at the Bovington military base in southwestern England, saying he feels like he belongs to “a big family.”
The unnamed Ukrainian soldier also thanked Britain for its support and said “it’s so easy to work with you.”
The soldier’s comments were made in footage obtained on Tuesday, July 12 from the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense (MoD), showing fresh Ukrainian troops taking part in armored vehicle training exercises, along with a short statement saying: “Meet the Ukrainian soldiers who took part in training exercises earlier this year, operating armored vehicles.
“The UK-led program trained the Ukrainian Forces allowing them to scale up their resistance as they continue to defend their nation’s sovereignty.
“The program is part of the UK’s enduring commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion.”
In the footage, the Ukrainian soldier says: “It’s the very first time for us to be in the United Kingdom. But in just a couple of days, just by building those interpersonal relationships we became as a family, a big family.”
An unnamed British soldier then says: “Project ‘Spring Generation’. We are delivering training for people who are going to be fighting in a few weeks time, and there’s a real sense of purpose behind that. Training of a number of Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel, to operate six different vehicle types: the CVR(T) Spartan, Mastiff, Husky, Wolfhound.
“Anything that’s got a gun, anything that’s armored is trained here in Bovington. Bovington training area is really unrivaled anywhere else in the U.K.”
The Ukrainian soldier then says: “The training area and the training facilities are outstanding for us. They are meeting all our expectations, and even over-pacing them. I expected it to be very difficult and complicated, but they enjoyed pretty much everything. Just being in another country. Training-wise; whatever we ask to provide us, to better meet our expectations, everything is just ‘boom’ and done.
“It’s so easy to work with you. And I do appreciate everything that your guys are doing, your country is doing for us. And [what] this particular organization is doing for my particular organization.”
The footage has also been relayed by the Command of the Airborne Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, along with a statement (in English) saying: “The Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland presents a dynamic and atmospheric video on the preparation of the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who took part in training exercises earlier this year, operating armored vehicles in the United Kingdom.
“The UK-led program trained the Armed Forces of Ukraine allowing them to scale up their resistance as they continue to defend their nation’s sovereignty.
“The program is part of the U.K.’s enduring commitment to support Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion.
“Secretary of State for Defense the Right Honorable Ben Wallace, who visited the training earlier, said: ‘This ambitious new training program is the next phase in the UK’s support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine in their fight against Russian aggression. Using the world-class expertise of the British Army we will help Ukraine to rebuild its forces and scale up its resistance as they defend their country’s sovereignty and their right to choose their own future.’
“The UK has a long history of supporting Ukrainian service personnel through Operation Orbital / Операція Орбітал which trained 22,000 Ukrainians between 2015 and 2022. The new program will build on this success and demonstrate the U.K.’s continued leadership in responding to Ukraine’s military requirements as the war evolves.”
The images follow on from footage obtained from the British Defense Ministry on Monday, July 11, along with a statement saying: “Ukrainian soldiers have arrived in the U.K. as part of the new U.K.-led military training program.
“The UK has a long history of supporting Ukrainian service personnel through Operation Orbital. The training will give volunteer recruits with little to no military experience the skills to be effective in frontline combat.”
The second piece of footage shows an unnamed British military instructor training Ukrainian recruits to use firearms. A second instructor, also unnamed, says in the footage: “We are training the partner forces, the Ukrainian soldiers in basic soldiering.
“We’re starting off with simple skill arms, which is how to handle your weapon, how to handle it safely and correctly.
“We’ll then employ that on live fire ranges and building up their basic marksmanship so what they aim at they hit.
“I think it goes to show the ability of the Ukrainians to repel the enemy, means that orbital has worked very well. Other than that, they just seem motivated, keen. They want to do well. They want to perform well.
“They know what they’re going up against in three weeks time. So ultimately they know the reality of the situation and so do we.”
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin is calling a “special military operation.” July 13 marks the 140th day of the invasion.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between February 24 and July 13, Russia had lost about 37,570 personnel, 1,649 tanks, 3,832 armored combat vehicles, 839 artillery units, 247 multiple launch rocket systems, 109 air defense systems, 217 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 678 drones, 155 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,704 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 67 units of special equipment.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia “doesn’t have the courage” to admit defeat. He has also mocked Russia for apparently relying on aging weaponry. He also said that the outcome of the war was certain, thanks to the unity of his people and the strength of Ukraine’s military forces.
Grain shipments via the River Danube have increased, with a canal being reopened. An increased number of foreign ships are now able to reach Ukrainian ports to help export grain. Deputy Infrastructure Minister Yuriy Vaskov has said that the number of foreign ships has doubled. Ukraine has also reopened a decommissioned port.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has hinted at plans to put together a “million-strong army” equipped with NATO weaponry to fight Russian troops, but the comments have been viewed more as a rallying cry than a concrete plan.
Reznikov has said that Western weaponry needs to be delivered to Ukraine faster. He said that for every day that they have to wait for howitzers to arrive, they can lose up to 100 soldiers.
The U.S. Treasury announced on Tuesday, July 12, that it was sending an additional $1.7 billion in economic aid to Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit Iran next week to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran. The meeting comes as the U.S. accuses Iran of preparing to provide Russia with hundreds of military drones for use in Ukraine.
Germany and the Czech Republic have signed a joint declaration, vowing to overcome their dependency on Russian fossil fuels and to speed up the transition to low-carbon energy.
Putin has signed a decree that makes it easier for Ukrainian citizens to acquire Russian citizenship.
