Corrupt, Cash-Strapped And Lacking Skill: The Ukraine Army Britons Come To Train

[Purveyor]

Thursday 19 March 2015 10.05 EDT Last modified on Thursday 19 March 2015 13.35 EDT

Igor Kuzyo, a nightclub bouncer from Lviv, received a draft notice last summer. But rather than join the Ukrainian army, he travelled east and signed up with a volunteer battalion. At least 30 of these loosely regulated brigades have sprung up in eastern Ukraine to help the short-handed army fight. Their choice is a telling one.

“They don’t give you anything in the army, the equipment is bad, and they leak secrets even worse than in the interior ministry [which oversees his Saint Mary volunteer battalion],” said Kuzyo. “We have generals who just sit in the rear, they’ve never even shot their weapons,” he added. “We need more military expertise from the United States or UK.”

Several weeks after David Cameron announced that Britain would be sending military advisers to help troops involved in the conflict with pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine, UK military instructors have arrived to provide medical and tactical training to local troops, the defence ministry in Kiev said on Thursday.
Kommunar, east Ukraine: ‘Nothing to eat, nothing to do, no point in life’

A spokesman, Oleksandr Motuzianik, did not specify the number of instructors, but said training would be rolled out over a two-month period. The BBC reported that 35 instructors had already begun training in the southern city of Mykolaiv. More are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.

Cameron’s announcement last month was met with mixed feelings by troops on the ground, many of whom want the west to send arms as well. The move is unlikely to alter the balance between government troops and Russia-backed rebel forces, although a Ukrainian military expert said it could have a positive long-term effect on the military’s struggle to train and equip new men.

more...

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/19/volunteer-brigades-bridge-ukrainian-army-gaps-kiev-army

[swilton]

1. When has a puppet government's corruption and ineffectiveness

ever stopped the US from backing a failed state?

This foreign policy blunder is directly traceable to the Bush neocon holdovers in the State Department. Rather than admit their error and correct the crisis - a couple of resignations/firings should be in the offing - the disaster will continue and the rest of the planet risks the consequences of a US-Russian confrontation.

A victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan. John F. Kennedy

[Blue_Tires]

2. That title could have described the RU military a decade ago

all it takes is some modernization, re-investment and a long-term planning, which is what Putin did to bring his military into the 21st century...