KIEV, September 22 (RIA Novosti) – Members of the Donbas volunteer battalion, created to take part in a special military operation in eastern Ukraine, will be trained by retired US instructors, the commander of the battalion, Semen Semenchenko, said Monday.
"[I] Concluded an agreement yesterday [Sunday] on the training of soldiers and officers of the Donbas battalion by mobile groups of instructors from the United States, who are currently not part of the active military personnel. They will follow the traditional training system, the training system of the United States Navy SEALs and the Delta Force. Preparations will start in 10 days," Semenchenko wrote on his Facebook page.
According to Semenchenko, special attention will be paid to individual training as well as teamwork. Separate standards have been developed for each rank, from sergeant to commander.
Ukrainian volunteer battalions, formed in April, when Kiev launched a military operation in eastern Ukraine, and that have since been integrated into Ukraine's National Guard, continue their operations in the region, despite the ceasefire agreed by the Contact Group on September 5 in Minsk.
Both the Ukrainian military and independence fighters have accused each other of violating the truce, which came into force on the same day.
Amnesty International has said that the Ukrainian government is responsible for the war crimes and human rights violations committed by Ukrainian volunteer battalions.
