Last month, I visited a British Army base in the south-west of England to witness the training of Ukrainian soldiers. Delivered by the UK and twelve partner nations, including Canada, the initiative provides basic infantry skills to new recruits as well as command and instructor courses for more experienced personnel. With more than 50,000 Ukrainians trained so far, the operation is a testament to international solidarity in the face of Putin’s aggression.
Together with defence experts and fellow military historians, I observed Ukrainian troops engage in a range of exercises, from urban combat to trench warfare scenarios, while receiving detailed briefings from British soldiers overseeing the operation.
Meeting Ukrainians who were fighting for their country was a sobering experience. Veterans shared harrowing first-hand stories of combat, including attacks by Russian drones equipped with thermal cameras. Technologies that until recently smacked of science fiction now play a grim and decisive role in the ongoing conflict. On the other hand, it was striking to watch Ukrainian troops being put through their paces in entrenchments that would have been immediately familiar to soldiers of the First World War. The juxtaposition served as a powerful reminder that while the face of battle evolves, the brutality of combat — and the resilience it demands — remains balefully perennial.
Slava Ukraini. Let’s hope for a just peace soon.
Photos courtesy of the Ministry of Defence.
1812 and all that 