Mitch McConnell back home after completing physical therapy for concussion
March 26, 2023
On Monday, Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Poland directly from the frontline to commence training on Leonard Tanks. The Ukrainian troops, who are being trained by allied instructions, praised their new battle tanks.
“As of today, I can say that the machine is very high quality, very good,” Ukrainian army major Vadym Khodak told reporters attending the training showcase in the southwestern village of Swietoszow.”
“And what I like is that our soldiers like it very much,” he added of the 105 Ukrainian troops who have been learning from Polish, Canadian and Norwegian instructors.”
Following a long campaign orchestrated in Kyiv, Germany gave the go-ahead for the tanks to be dispatched to Ukraine.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recently confirmed that Berlin, along with several of their allies, intend to first battalion of tanks by April. Pistorius went onto say that further deliveries will take place later this year and in 2024.
Khodak said this was encouraging news and that the tanks would be “a great support for our army.”
“And I hope that when we come to the frontline with this equipment, it will save a lot of lives of our soldiers and bring us closer to victory,” he went onto say.
Polish President Andrzej Duda praised the Ukrainian soldiers who have been battling Russian forces for the last year . “These are very experienced tank drivers, who arrived here straight from the front in Ukraine” he said.
“Just by looking at their faces, you can see that these men have lived through horrible things but are absolutely determined to defend their homeland,” Duda added.
Some of the troops were able to climb onboard a tank, however the majority of their training has been theory based and using simulators.
The training, which usually lasts 2 months, is expected to be completed in one month.
They train “around 10 to 12 hours a day, from Monday to Saturday,” Polish instructor Krzysztof Sieradzki told the press.
ARTICLE: PAUL MURDOCH
MANAGING EDITOR: LUKE MOCHERMAN
PHOTO CREDIT: BANGKOK POST