US has trained 7,000 Ukrainian troops since war with Russia began, says Pentagon spokesperson

Washington: As many as 7,000 Ukrainian troops have been trained by the US since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began last year, a spokesperson of the Pentagon said. Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that among those trained, 65 Ukrainians completed their training on the Patriot air defence system at Oklahoma’s Fort Sill. The soldiers returned to Europe this week. Ryder added that more than 4,000 troops in two brigades completed their arms training in Germany, with one of the brigades fully equipped with Bradley fighting vehicles and the other with Stryker vehicles. “Additional combined arms training is currently underway at Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels training areas in Germany, with two motorized infantry battalions consisting of 1,200 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel,” the spokesperson told reporters. Since April 2022, an additional 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers finished operator and maintenance training on 20 donated systems. This program, however, is currently ongoing. Ryder added, “The US will continue to provide training and work closely with our allies and partners to ensure the Ukrainian people have the security assistance they need to defend their country and repel Russian aggression.” According to The Hill, the Ukrainian troops first arrived in Oklahoma in January to receive training on the Patriot missile system. Initially, the course was supposed to run for several months but troops finished the training faster than planned. Patriot missile training Ukraine repeatedly pushed the United States for the high-tech system to help shield against Russian strikes and Washington promised late last year that it would provide a Patriot battery, with Kyiv’s troops starting training in Oklahoma in January. “This week, 65 Ukrainian air defenders completed Patriot training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and have now arrived back in Europe,” said Ryder. “They’re integrating with other Ukrainian air defenders along with donated Patriot air defence equipment from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands,” he said. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.