Russia blames West for giving Ukrainian forces weapons training

Russia’s foreign ministry has condemned the US and the UK for helping train Ukraine’s armed forces, calling it part of “hybrid warfare” being waged by NATO countries against Russia.

In a media briefing, spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Washington had provided Ukraine with instructors who were helping Kyiv’s forces use advanced US-made high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) against Russian positions. She noted the rockets, which have a longer range and are more precise than other artillery weapons, were being used “widely” by Ukrainian forces.

Zakharova also criticised Britain’s decision to bring Ukrainian service personnel to the UK for weapons training.

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• Training of Ukrainian servicemen in NATO states is a hybrid war against Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

The diplomat noted a report by the Daily Mail about the beginning of training of first groups of about 500 Ukrainian servicemen out of 10,000 that should undergo a three-week training in use of Western weapons in Manchester.

"This is what constitutes a hybrid war," Zakharova underscored.

According to the spokeswoman, the West is using Kiev as a tool and a weapon against Russia "and against Ukraine itself."

"No one thinks about the fate of Ukrainian citizens, of course," she added.

The diplomat noted that, according to reports of European media, such training is already going on or will begin soon in other NATO states.