Ukrainian troops come to Salisbury Plain for rocket system training
THE FIRST Ukrainian troops to be trained on heavy artillery systems donated by Britain have declared it will provide the nation with extra hope and motivation to repel Russia.
The Daily Express was invited to watch Ukrainian troops completing training on Multiple-Launch Rocket Systems and L119 light guns on Salisbury Plain.
We witnessed them firing shell after shell into the Wiltshire countryside, ready to fight Putin’s forces.
It is understood Kyiv will receive three MLRSs, which can hit targets 52 miles away, and around 50 L119 guns.
The Ukrainians thanked British troops for their training, adding, “It is really important for us to understand that the world hasn’t forgotten about us.”
Speed
The Royal Artillery Regiment has trained dozens of Ukrainians on the MLRS in a three-week crash course. Training for British soldiers typically takes five weeks but military chiefs decided to focus on speed so they could return to the front line.
Some of the translators working alongside the troops fled to the UK as refugees after Putin invaded.
Captain James Oliphant said: “Now they are extremely competent...it is like showing a child how to ride a bike. They don’t want you holding on to the back of the seat any more.
“They are very much at the point where they just want to get back and start operating that equipment.”
Ukrainian commanders said they were “really impressed” with the British MLRS and they are now turning their attention to how they can use the rocket systems to repel the Russian advances in the Donbas.
Kyiv has been pleading with the West for more heavy – long range – artillery systems to strike Russian forces advancing through eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin is relying on brutal artillery assaults to pound Ukraine into submission. A Ukrainian major told the Daily Express that Britain giving Kyiv the MLRS will give the war-torn nation fresh hope.
He said: “When others in our armed services realise we have MLRs they will have strong motivation. That is so critical for all of us.”
He added: “In the beginning, they were a bit scared about the situation. Now they are just tired.
“But in the same way, they are so motivated to continue their struggle.”
Captain Oliphant said: “When we found out that they were professional rocket artillerymen, the tempo of the course and delivery of it became much easier. We were talking the same language despite the language barrier between Ukrainian and English.”