Canada and Latvia will train Ukrainian officers
11 May, 2023 Ukrainian Armed Force soldiers. Illustrative photo. Source: General Staff
As part of a training mission, Canada and Latvia will start training Ukrainian soldiers on Latvian soil. Anita Anand, Canadian Defense Minister, announced this on Wednesday during a joint press conference with her Latvian counterpart Inara Murniece. Training of Ukrainian officers will begin on May 15.
Training of the Ukrainian military will be conducted under Operation Unifier jointly with the Canadian Armed Forces and the Latvian National Armed Forces. "The training will instruct Ukrainian junior officers on responsibilities in battle, the process of planning and orders, maneuver coordination, intelligence reconnaissance, planning and executing," Anand said.
A soldier from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment deployed for Operation UNIFIER instructs servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces on mine prodding procedures.
October 2022, the United Kingdom. Photo credits: Canadian Armed Forces
The training, which begins May 15, will continue alongside Canada's ongoing training efforts under Operation Unifier, which are currently taking place in Poland and the United Kingdom. Inara Murniece, Latvian Defense Minister, who is visiting Ottawa, told reporters that Canada and Latvia are doing "tremendous work" to help train the Ukrainian military.
"I am very proud that Canada and Latvia have agreed on a joint leadership training program for Ukrainians which will help Ukrainians fight against Russian occupation. In this effort ... we are together," she said.
Stinger MANPADS of the Ukrainian military in Donbas. April 2022.
Photo credits: Ukrainian Air Assault Forces
In April, it was reported that Latvia will transfer all its Stinger man-portable air-defense systems to Ukraine. As previously reported, the Operation UNIFIER of the Canadian Armed Forces was launched in 2015 in response to a request from the Government of Ukraine to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At that time, the instructors taught Ukrainians military tactics and advanced military skills.
Canadian instructors during the training of Ukrainian forces as part of the Operation UNIFIER UK
In total, over 36,000 Ukrainian military personnel have been trained under the UNIFIER mission since its inception in 2015. Until the beginning of the Russian invasion in February 2022, this training was carried out in Ukraine.
Training of Ukrainian soldiers with Leopard 2 as part of Operation UNIFIER. March 2023, Poland.
Photo credits: Ukrainian General Staff
However, with the Russian invasion, the Canadians had to leave Ukraine, and the training was transferred to bases in Great Britain, and in a year, to Poland, where the training of Ukrainian soldiers on Leopard 2 tanks continues.