(from EUMAM UA Special Training Command)

History teaches us that even 50-year-old tanks are not yet obsolete, but rather serve a vital purpose: Designed in the 1970s for a fight against the Soviet Union's weapons systems in the middle of Europe, the weapon system is being used for precisely that purpose half a century later. Keeping them in good order is vital.

Ukrainian armed forces have been training in Germany for over two years. In peak times, the Bundeswehr has deployed over 1,500 soldiers for this purpose. This makes the Training Support for Ukraine (EUMAM UA) the Bundeswehr's largest mission. Ukraine itself has formulated its training needs to the EU. The Bundeswehr takes part of these requests and then designs the training courses. From food and accommodation to training equipment, tools, spare parts, and clothing, everything the troops need to increase their effectiveness on the front lines and defend their country is available.

Sergiy (32) and Valentyn (29) also confirm this. They are major and sergeant in the Ukrainian army and are attending training in Germany for the first time. "We lack nothing here, and we are grateful to the Germans for helping us," they both confirm. Sergiy was already a soldier before the invasion in February 2022 and has previously worked on US tanks in his home country. With the knowledge he will gain here, he will soon take over the repair of the tanks provided by the allies for a brigade that will be deployed on a sector of the front. In Ukraine, the combat vehicle is used flexibly: its primary purpose is to transport combat troops to the battlefield, but it is also used to transport weapons, ammunition, fuel, provisions, and the wounded; and, last but not least, for fire support for artillery.

A functional weapon system with such a wide range of applications is therefore of paramount importance, as it protects its occupants and thus saves lives. Therefore, both the members of the Ukrainian armed forces and the German instructors approach their work with meticulousness precision and great motivation. "We simply get everything we need here and do as many repetitions as we need until we get everything right," explains Valentyn.

Mutual Learning – A Give and Take

But even beyond the prescribed repairs in peacetime operations, knowledge and skills are transferred – in both directions. If damage occurs on the front lines in Ukraine, cable ties sometimes have to be replaced. This is nothing new in principle. However, the massive use of drones also opens up new possibilities. Damage can be detected and reported early and comprehensively, so that repair work can begin much more quickly. The EUMAM UA instructors are impressed every day by how the Ukrainian trainees, even with flexible methods, find viable solutions. These solutions increase Ukraine's success on the front lines, which has now lasted over three years.