“Like, who are they to tell us?”
Not an uncommon reaction of Ukrainian soldiers when Canadian troops arrived to take over their training. Initially skeptical, the Ukrainians adapted quickly to a more western style of combat, command, and control.
A lot of these Ukrainians were and are combat veterans, some fighting for over five years in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region. Mostly, but not officially, against Russians.
They were basically ordered to change their combat mindset, and that’s where the Canadians came in, along with the British, the French, the Belgians, and others.
Previously, Ukrainian soldiers were almost identical to Russian soldiers, both having a shared connection with former Soviet military doctrine and tactics. They were often fighting against each other using identical tactics, thinking, and using more or less the same weapons.
Two things Canadian soldiers drilled into their Ukrainian counterparts stuck with many as being critical.
The Canadian approach to casualty management has been recognized by Ukraine as a difference-maker, saving many lives on a personal level for the soldiers, but a strategic level for the army.
Secondly, the development of an entire command layer that doesn’t exist in the Russian army, that being the non-commissioned officer class. For western armies, sergeants and other non-coms were the meat and potatoes of the command structure. They had tactical license and could decide on-site to take a certain action. This contrasted with Russia’s super-top-down doctrine that demanded that higher authority be consulted before making a move.
Ukraine surprised us a year ago with how well they fought the Russians off. Their national resolve is nothing short of inspirational.
We, like others, have helped Ukraine’s military get stronger with weapons. We’ve done stuff that gets no attention, like the half-million winter kits for Ukrainian soldiers, the very latest in winter combat clothing and accessories.
But perhaps the most noticeable addition we’ve made to this whole thing is the training that our troops have provided theirs.
Ukrainian soldiers have proven especially adept at using our tactics with western weaponry to achieve superior battlefield results.
So, rather than it being all over in a couple of days, like a lot of the Russian big-boys were hoping, here we are one year out.
And we, like our allies, continue to train Ukrainian troops.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 