LONDON Dec. 28 (DPA/EP) –
The United Kingdom will increase its support for training missions for Ukrainian soldiers next year and has promised that the number of commanders who will benefit from its combat stress management training will be almost double in 2025 than in 2024.
This has been announced by the British Ministry of Defense, which has clarified that a total of 180 Ukrainian commanders will attend the Combat Stress Signaling Course (CSSC) taught by specialists from the British Army in 2025, compared to the 100 who have done it throughout this year.
“The Ukrainian people are fighting with enormous courage to defend their country and it is our duty to put them in the strongest possible position. The United Kingdom will continue side by side with Ukraine throughout 2025 as we have done this year,” argued the official. of the British Armed Forces, Luke Pollard.
The training will last five weeks and will cover teaching techniques to manage combat stress, as well as assisting a person in a situation of acute stress to help them return to a functional state in less than a minute, among other issues.
“With hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers receiving training in mental health first aid before returning to the front lines, resilience can extend to all ranks of those fighting against Russia’s illegal invasion,” Defense argued.
This announcement comes after Defense Secretary John Healey said during a visit to kyiv last week that the UK will “step up” its international leadership in Ukraine in 2025 and Prime Minister Keir Starmer underlined the need for allies “stand united with Ukraine” during a phone call with US President-elect Donald Trump this month.
Since summer 2022, the United Kingdom has contributed to the training and training of 51,000 Ukrainians in combat skills as part of Operation Interflex, while providing £3 billion a year (about €3.6 billion) in support. to the country.
The war in Ukraine broke out almost three years ago, when at the end of February 2022 the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, gave the order to militarily invade his neighboring country. Since then the conflict has progressed without apparent continuity and with the battle front lines stagnant.