Australian Officer Warns 30% of Ukrainian Trainees May Die
An Australian commander says about 30% of Ukrainian troops trained in Poland may be killed by Christmas and warns of serious equipment shortages.
The commander of the Australian contingent training Ukrainian troops in Poland has acknowledged that a significant proportion of the personnel completing the program may not survive until the end of the year.
In an interview with The Australian, Major Frank said that despite the high standard of training, the nature of the fighting remains extremely intense. According to his assessment, about 30% of the Ukrainian servicemen trained at the international Camp Jomsborg facility are expected to be killed by Christmas.
Australian instructors have been working at the Polish training camp since May as part of the international Operation Legio mission. Their task is to train squad and platoon commanders for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Military instructors from Norway, Poland, the United States, New Zealand and several other countries are also taking part in the program.
At the same time, the mission has encountered shortages of weapons and training equipment. Major Frank said that the sniper training course had to be cancelled completely because the camp had no sniper rifles available.
The officer also called for simplifying the transfer of Australian military equipment being retired from service to Ukraine. According to him, existing bureaucratic procedures are slowing down the delivery of such equipment.
The shortage was also confirmed by a Ukrainian instructor using the call sign Irish. He said that both the training center and the Ukrainian Armed Forces are experiencing an acute lack of training materials and equipment needed to prepare personnel properly.