As part of the Interflex training mission, Estonian Defence Forces will send up to 30 instructors to the United Kingdom to contribute to the basic military training of new recruits of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
„Ukraine has been fighting against the full-scale aggression of the Russian Federation for more than two years. To defend its independence and territorial integrity, Ukraine relies on various support from its allies, including training. To support Ukraine to achieve its goals, Estonia has decided to join the UK led operation Interflex to provide basic military training such as basic drills on battlefield, weaponry and shooting skills, in the UK to new recruits of Armed Forces of Ukraine. Estonian Defence Forces will provide instructors for training, both active duty and reserve personnel,” said Major General Enno Mõts, the Chief of Staff of the Headquarters of the Estonian Defence Forces.
Before heading to the United Kingdom for a training mission, the personnel underwent a week’s training at Tapa. „The main purpose of this week was to conduct an instructor refresher course, teaching key instructor competencies, so that our instructors who are going to UK are able and ready to provide the highest quality training to Ukrainian soldiers. First of all, we focused on teaching weapon handling skills and medicine,” said Lieutenant Marek Härmask, who is responsible for the training of the unit heading for the training mission.
Up to 30 member unit is heading to United Kingdom starting from March and consists of active-duty and reservist instructors, who have expressed their desire to participate in the training mission. The length of one training cycle is two months.
“It’s a great honour for me to be given the opportunity to teach Ukrainians and share my experience with them, because I think the biggest goal in the world right now is to help Ukraine beat back the occupiers,” said Private German Barinov, who is going on a training mission as a reservist, and has previously served as an infantryman and worked as a medic in the frontline in Ukraine for a total of 21 months.
“For me, it was a voluntary decision, like everyone here – we want to contribute to the defence of Ukraine,” added second lieutenant Andres Hakmann.
In January of this year, Estonia decided to join the United Kingdom led training mission Interflex, which provides basic military training to new recruits of Armed Forces of Ukraine. The nations contributing to Interflex includes Nordic countries, Baltic States, Australia, New-Zealand, Canada and Kosovo.
Source: Estonian Defence Forces