Latvia to train more than 1.5 thousand Ukrainian servicemen by end of year - Ukraine's Defense Ministry

Colonel Mykola Huben', Chief of the Doctrine and Individual Training Department of Ukrainian Armed Forces General Staff, stated this, Defense Ministry reports.

Huben' noted that since July 2022, with the assistance of the Latvian side, about 350 Ukrainian servicemen have been trained in several areas of training. Latvia trains the Ukrainian military in such areas as basic general military training, officer-sergeant leadership training, sapper training, rifleman training, and others.

According to the colonel, in 2023, the volume of training with the participation of Latvia more than quadrupled, and by the end of the year, more than 1,500 more Ukrainian servicemen will be trained. Mykola Huben' emphasized that these trainings significantly improve the quality of staff preparation. At the same time, the Ukrainian side proposes to take into account the combat experience gained by the Ukrainian military in the further training process.

The Ministry of Defense is interested in continuing Ukrainian military training by Latvian instructors. "We propose to train approximately 96 unit commanders and 360 combat medics in 2024 with the participation of Latvia," noted Mykola Huben'.

• On November 25, during a meeting with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that Latvia is among the three largest donors of military aid to Ukraine by percentage of national GDP.