Operation UNIFIER: This year's training mission for Ukrainian military ends in UK

This year's last stage of training, which the instructors of the Canadian Armed Forces conducted for the Ukrainian military in the United Kingdom in coordination with the British Army as part of Operation UNIFIER, has come to an end.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said this in a post on Facebook, Ukrinform reports.

Training has been going on since mid-summer. As part of the training mission, Ukrainian service members acquired the basic skills needed to protect the country from armed aggression.

"Ordinary men and women from all walks of life – construction workers, bankers, accountants, mechanics, firefighters, engineers, chefs, and even dancers – voluntarily enlisted in the Security Forces of Ukraine following Russia's invasion of their home. These Ukrainian soldiers have successfully navigated a rigorous training program under the tutelage of Canadian and British Army specialists and will now return to active service in Ukraine," the General Staff said.

According to the report, upon their return to Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers will put the critical lessons they have learned in the law of armed conflict, battlefield casualty drills, combat first aid, field craft, marksmanship, explosive threat awareness and recognition, and both urban and trench warfare training into practice.

According to the General Staff, "the CAF is proud to support our Ukrainian partners and will recommence the training program in January 2023."

The Armed Forces of Ukraine thanked Canada and the United Kingdom for their support and assistance.

Operation UNIFIER was launched in 2015 at the request of the Ukrainian government, and early this year, was expanded and extended until March 2025. Aspects of the mission were temporarily paused following the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with a commitment to resume training when and where conditions permitted.

In early August 2022, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced the resumption of training as part of Operation UNIFIER.