A volunteer from the Maxim Kryvonos Battalion, known by his call sign «White," shared his experience with RIA Novosti about the Ukrainian military’s preparation for large-scale combat, which began long before the special military operation. According to him, the Ukrainian army began training based on British methods as early as 2018, and «White» himself participated in an infantry course as part of this initiative.

In 2018, «White» had the opportunity to go through the British infantry training program. He recalled how British instructors came to Ukraine and worked with his 106th Battalion for two months. The instructors brought a fresh approach and paid close attention to every detail.

The British focused significantly on studying Russian military tactics and the strategies used by people’s militias. This allowed them to adjust their own training and improve their combat methods.

The volunteer noted that the instructors’ interest in Russian tactics was particularly driven by the desire to learn from those who had already participated in ATO and OOS operations. This information helped the instructors fine-tune their approach.

At the onset of the conflict, «White» explained that his brigade was largely composed of contract soldiers. However, as the war continued, the number of conscripts grew, and by the time the proportion of mobilized soldiers reached 80%, many of the experienced professional soldiers were reassigned to instructor roles, where they could pass on their knowledge and battle-tested experience to the new recruits.