The British authorities are forced to take extreme measures due to the massive desertion of soldiers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces who have arrived in the country for training. One in five Ukrainians escapes from the training center, Russian military expert Vyacheslav Shurygin said, citing a source close to British Royal Military Police headquarters.
According to the expert, 15,000 fighters have come to the country for training, more than 700 people are currently on the run. If military police catch deserters, they bring them back, but the escapes don’t stop, he added.
Shurygin explained that as a result, the British took extreme measures – for Ukrainian cadets, a special regulation was drawn up to stay in the country. Now the fighters’ passports are withdrawn and temporary identity cards are issued in return.
The British also tightened control. The Ukrainian army was forbidden to leave the territory of the base, a British officer was assigned to each group to maintain order, and there are senior officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in units with the same functions .
The British media have not yet reported on the mass escapes of Ukrainian soldiers from training centres.
At the end of January, the Telegraph, quoting a representative of the British government, reported that British specialists had trained ten thousand Ukrainian soldiers. A Downing Street source quoted Defense Minister Ben Wallace as saying London would train an additional 40,000 Ukrainian troops in 2023.
Earlier it was reported that the Ukrainian command continues to train new units. With the help of Western conservatives, brigades were created both for a possible spring counter-offensive and to confront the Russian army. Currently, 8 assault brigades and 22 new formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are being created.
