Irish bomb disposal and demining specialists have returned from their first mission training Ukrainian troops in Cyprus.
Six instructors from the Defence Forces Engineer and Ordnance Corps worked alongside Cypriot military engineers to delivering the training as part of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMam-UA).
The mission was established last year to co-ordinate various military training programmes being provided to Ukraine by European countries to aid its military in resisting the Russian invasion.
The Irish “Mobile Training Team” instructed Ukrainian troops in demining techniques and dealing with unexploded munitions.
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The Defence Forces said it is the first training mission it has provided and that further missions are expected. Up to 30 Irish personnel will provide “much needed training to some of the estimated five thousand [Ukrainian Armed Forces] soldiers required to demine Ukraine,” it said in a statement.
“Other training teams are in the planning stages and pending approval,” the Defence Forces said.
The four week course was aimed at enabling Ukrainian troops to identify and neutralise explosives left behind after fighting.
While other countries are providing courses in lethal military tactics, the Defence Forces has emphasised the non-combatant nature of the training being provided by Irish troops.
It said the training will enable members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to clear battlefields “that were contaminated during fighting but are now behind the frontline.”
This will allow the freedom of movement of the Ukrainian military and its people, it said.
“Eventually, this will allow for the restoration of essential services and the resumption of normality in areas that were affected by the conflict.”
As well as providing training in the field, Irish military personnel have also been seconded to the multinational Special Training Command (STC) in Strausberg, Germany where they are responsible for providing logistical and administrative support for EUMam-UA.
Another member is seconded to the EU’s Military Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC) in Brussels to help identify new ways in which Ireland may provide support.
Ireland has also committed extensive aid to Ukraine, including non-lethal military aid through the European Peace Facility.
