Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed U.S. troops are again trainingUkrainians but at a new, undisclosed location in Germany.
The Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTGU) previously operated at the Yavoriv Combat Training Center in western Ukraine with members of the Florida Army National Guard’s Task Force Gator, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.
Part of the 7th Army Training Command, JMTGU trained Ukrainian troops on many of the shoulder-fired weapons like the FGM-148 Javelin, FIM-92 Stinger, and others that have seen widespread use against Russian forces. The training mission continued until its evacuation only two weeks before the Russian attack began on February 24.
Russian cruise missiles struck Yavoriv Combat Training Center on March 13, killing at least 35 people and bringing the war within 20 kilometers of the Polish border. You can read about our coverage of that attack here.
Kirby said at a press conference that JMTGU and Canadian troops are training Ukrainians on the 155mm M777 howitzer and other weapons systems included in ongoing western efforts to support Ukrainian forces.
“These efforts build on the initial artillery training that Ukraine’s forces already have received elsewhere and also includes training on radar systems and armored vehicles that have been recently announced as part of security assistance packages,” Kirby said.
On a broader scale with the war’s status, there is reportedly growing confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the May 9 Victory Day celebrations as the venue to formally declare war on Ukraine.
The move to formal war and no longer a “special military operation” may serve to further mobilize the country for what increasingly appears will be a drawn-out conflict, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in an interview Saturday.
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