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Canada starts training Ukrainian troops

Xinhua, September 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Canadian military instructors have started a long-term training program for Ukrainian army troops who fight against pro-independence insurgents in eastern regions, spokesman for the Ukrainian Defense Ministry Alexander Poronyuk said Monday.

A total of 300 Canadian instructors will coach Ukrainian servicemen until March 2017 in medicine, disposing explosive ordnance, defending road checkpoints and escorting troops, Poronyuk told local media.

According to him, foreign trainers will work at military facilities in Ukraine's western Lvov and Khmelnitsky regions, more than 1,000 kilometers away from the frontline in eastern Ukraine.

Military trainers from the United States and Britain are also providing security assistance to Ukrainian servicemen.

The insurgents' leadership has strongly objected the presence of foreign military personnel in Ukraine, saying that it undermines the peace process in the country.

On Sept. 1, a new ceasefire agreement between government troops and rebels was established in the frontlines in Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

Despite sporadic violations, the truce has appeared to be well maintained in recent days for the first time since the start of the bloody conflict.

According to the United Nations, nearly 8,000 people have lost their lives and more than 17,800 have been wounded in eastern Ukraine since the conflict began in mid-April 2014. Endi