Cristina Serena Trujillo |
Toledo (EFE) high spirits, convinced that victory will be theirs.
The EFE Agency has witnessed a few hours of the training that these young Ukrainians receive, with an average age of 24 years, although most of them are in their twenties, all of them without previous military training and who have signed a three-year contract with the Ukrainian army, regardless of when the war ends.
The head of the Basic Training company, Captain Carlos Vela Guerrero, explains that the training received by the 198 Ukrainians -192 civilians (four women) and six army commanders- focuses on the “individual instruction of the combatant”, which includes shooting, physical instruction and health care, specifically designed for these groups.
From journalist and interpreter to the Army
Alona, 35, one of the four women receiving this training, has lived in Spain for fourteen years, but decided to return to her country in December to join the army and help her compatriots.
Before joining the military, Alona had worked as a journalist as well as an interpreter and admits that she had never considered the possibility of her life taking “such a drastic turn”, but says she did it because she feels she has to “do something ” for his country, for which he received the support of his mother and brother.
She is very grateful for the training she is receiving and is not discouraged when thinking about how long the war with Russia can last -about to be a year old- and she is convinced of victory: “We will win because good always wins over evil”.
Also the head of the liaison element, Colonel Oleksandr Demchuk, 47, is very grateful for the “warm welcome” and for the instruction that his compatriots receive in Toledo, in whom he can already appreciate the evolution, and assures that it will serve to “defend the whole country”.
This colonel points out that the young people who are being trained, all of them coming from civilian life and with no prior military knowledge, will know their fate when they return to their country, although he insists that the training they are receiving will serve to “defend all of Ukraine ”.
Military training from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., seven days a week
The day for these young people – who do not leave the Infantry Academy due to a decision by the Ukrainian army – starts early, since they get up at 6:30 a.m. to have breakfast and be ready to begin the instruction around 8:00 a.m., which lasts until 10:30 p.m., Monday to Sunday, although on some days they also practice night shooting or receive “continuous instruction” also at night.
In the military training given by the Toledo Training Command, created for this European Union (EU) military assistance mission in support of Ukraine, young Ukrainians carry out shooting practice, ranging from “dry shooting”, adopting the correct posture with the weapon ready to shoot, until practicing from 50, one hundred meters or more.
Thus, the objective is for the brain to automate the movements and the person can do them unconsciously if they are in a combat situation and can concentrate on other elements that pose a threat.
They also practice “instinctive shooting”, that is, shooting with a weapon, both stationary and moving, and also getting used to, for example, the noise of a shot or the recoil of the weapon when firing.
Health care is another of the objectives of their training, so they learn to wear a tourniquet so that, in the event that they enter into combat and are injured, they can provide first aid themselves or, if necessary, perform it on a colleague.
To face the difficulties in war, they carry out exercises in which, in a journey of approximately one kilometer, a couple enters a path that they come across, for example, hidden mines, a grenade that can explode if they don’t they detect the trap mechanism so that it detonates, they are faced with an ambush in which one of them is injured and needs to be put on a tourniquet and they detect toxic gases, before which they have to put on their protective suits and then take them off correctly.
After this group of almost 200 young people receiving basic instruction, the second to be formed at the Toledo Infantry Academy, another contingent is expected to arrive this week to receive more specific training, requested by the Ukrainian army, and in March will receive a third group of young people without military experience.
Captain Vera details that the commitment that the EU has signed with Ukraine contemplates military training for two years and points out that the young people who are in the Academy have “extremely high motivation” because they know what they have to face when they arrive at their country, which allows them to “fast forward” in their training.
However, he points out that, despite the language barrier, the treatment is “cordial and pleasant” although the Spanish staff avoid discussing their personal or family situations with them.
To facilitate communication, interpreters have been hired to translate the Spanish military instructions into Ukrainian, although as the days progress, the young people are learning basic words, such as “right” or “left” and numbers.
