Pentagon: more than 11,000 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are undergoing training in 26 countries

31 March, 2023 A Bradley infantry fighting vehicle fires a TOW anti-tank missile. Photo from open sources Allies and partners provide defense assistance to Ukraine and conduct joint military training of Ukrainian defenders.

In particular, the U.S. has provided more than £32.5 billion of security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder reports.

This amount includes the cost of the transferred military hardware and ammunition, as well as conducting exercises. "Since Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022, U.S. European Command, U.S.

Army Europe and Africa and Security Assistance Group Ukraine have trained more than 7,000 members of the Ukrainian armed forces," Pat Ryder said.

Pat Ryder. Photo credits: US media

Back in December of last year, the US Ministry of Defense announced the conduct of joint military training of the Ukrainian military, which was launched in the beginning of 2023 at the U.S. training grounds in Germany. Currently, training is ongoing and some of them are already being completed.

Stryker armored vehicles with M151 Protector combat modules of the Ukrainian military.

March 2023. Frame from Oleksii Reznikov`s video

"At the close of this month, more than 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers in two brigades -- one equipped with M2 Bradleys and one equipped with Strykers -- will have completed combined arms training and have returned to Ukraine," Ryder said. He adds that more soldiers remain behind to get additional training at the Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas.

That includes two motorized infantry battalions with about 1,200 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel.

Ukrainian military uses M777 howitzers, May 2022, Photo credits: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

"Operator and maintenance training on donated platforms is also ongoing, with more than 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers having completed platform training in 40 different programs of instruction on more than 20 systems since April of 2022," the Pentagon Press Secretary said. At the moment, according to Pat Ryder, more than 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers are receiving training in 26 different countries.

Patriot air defense system launcher.

Photo credits: U.S.

Department of Defense

Besides, the Ukrainian military, which was undergoing training on Patriot air defense systems in the United States, had returned to Europe, where additional training would take place involving Patriot air defense systems provided by the United States, Germany and the Netherlands.