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“We wrote this book, and we can write a new one”

Professional military man, volunteer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “Zhurek” agrees that the problems that Ukrainian fighters and translators talk about are real - but not only in Poland. In his opinion, NATO commanders are aware of how warfare has changed in recent years, but they are blocking updates to “methods” - because then they would have to admit that they are doing something wrong. But he himself does not think so. “The fact that 200 years ago we fought with muskets doesn’t mean we were doing something wrong. But then other types of weapons appeared,” he says. “They say, ‘that’s what our textbook says’ - but we wrote this book, and we can write a new one.” Another reason why military training abroad does not meet the expectations of Ukrainian fighters, according to a Polish volunteer, lies in the “staff” officers - military personnel with little or no combat experience. “Zhurek” explains that NATO instructors often rely on their own understanding of combat operations - and it often differs from what fighters on the front lines are currently experiencing.

However, the responsibility for the quality of training, says “Zhurek”, lies on both sides: Ukrainians must also work to ensure that their fighters receive better training. First of all, according to him, the Ukrainian command, which outlines the goals, needs of training and describes the conditions of combat operations, must provide partners with a realistic picture. He lists examples: from the absence of commanders in positions, lack of communication between subordinates on a common front line, to problems with the sergeant corps. NATO instructors conduct sergeant courses, and Ukrainians, upon returning to the front, even as sergeants, cannot perform their functions. Often, adjacent units do not communicate with each other - and this, according to “Zhurek”, also surprises instructors who teach military tactics and battle planning. At the same time, he says, there is also the so-called “experienced soldier syndrome,” which is mostly found in fighters who have been through several battles and survived. When an instructor with no combat experience tells them something, they simply don’t listen, says “Zhurek.” So, in his opinion, training abroad should be conducted by Ukrainian instructors who have “won back their own.” Poles should join these exercises: observe, learn new things, and share procedures that work effectively.

Who is responsible for training abroad?

Major “Eighteen” says that during the exercises he tried to convince NATO instructors - Poles and Czechs - that war has changed, so training must change too. The Czech instructors, he says, listened, some even took notes and tried to adapt the program during the training. However, the Poles, says the commander of the assault battalion, only “sighed” - they say, “we have such rules in Poland.” When asked whether these remarks were also addressed to the Ukrainian side, the major explains: “senior command” of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was present at the training ground at all times to observe and prepare reports on training (he asks not to specify who exactly and where from). The battalion commander himself says that he could not influence the content of these reports, so the feedback that was transmitted “upwards” could differ significantly from the impressions of combat officers.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in response to a request from BBC News Ukraine, stated that they regularly receive feedback on training abroad and, accordingly, are constantly improving training programs “taking into account the experience of combat operations and training activities carried out.” “After the training activities are carried out, reports are received on an ongoing basis. Information from these reports is analyzed and used to work out qualitative changes in the training process abroad,” says an official letter from the General Staff, obtained by the BBC. However, the General Staff does not disclose what exactly this feedback concerns and whether it is about the war in Ukraine not looking quite like the one at the training ground in Poland. The Polish Ministry of Defense, in its response to BBC News Ukraine, noted that they had not received any comments from the Ukrainian side.

“We would like to inform you that we have not received any signals indicating that the training programs do not meet the needs of the Ukrainian side,” the Polish Ministry of Defense emphasized in response to a BBC inquiry. At the same time, both Ukrainians and Poles claim that UAVs are included in these programs. “During the training, in all training modules, the use of various types of drones was taken into account and actually applied,” the letter from the Polish Ministry of Defense states. However, the BBC was unable to independently verify whether this was indeed the case: the Poles, in response to a request to show the programs, said that for security reasons they were not disclosing them, but that these documents were the property of the Ukrainian side, which could provide them at its discretion. The General Staff reported that they do not publish information about the combat readiness and training of troops.

ah, the classic bureaucratic trick - “no, you have to go to that other department for this document”

In addition, as the BBC was informed by the Polish Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian side is responsible for selecting and sending candidates for training, while the Polish side is responsible for organizing and logistically supporting the training. “The training conducted is the result of a combination of the expectations of the Ukrainian side and the organizational capabilities of the CAT-C command and individual training modules,” the letter states. The General Staff does not deny that the main responsibility for developing programs lies with them. “Training is conducted on the basis of training directives developed in accordance with the training programs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the General Staff indicates.

Information added to the article on November 21

After the publication of this material, the Polish Armed Forces commented on some of its fragments. In particular, they repeated the statement of the Polish Ministry of Defense that they had not received information that their training did not meet the needs of the Ukrainian side. They claim that a group of officers of the General Staff of Ukraine is constantly present within the mission, which promptly monitors the training process. At the same time, as stated in the Polish Army’s commentary, most training modules have drones - they mostly come from allied countries. “At the same time, the Polish side has never announced the creation of a separate training module for UAV operators, as we realize that we do not have enough equipment and trained instructors,” the report says. In addition, they rejected the Ukrainian military’s comments on the use of paper maps and the principle of the “golden hour” of evacuation. They also emphasized that the command of the European training mission Combined Arms Training Command (CAT-C) is responsible for coordinating the training in Poland. More than 22,000 Ukrainian military personnel have received training within the framework of this mission. “Since the beginning of the mission, both the training programs and the methods themselves have constantly evolved and changed many times,” the Polish Armed Forces noted, emphasizing that the programs are provided by the Ukrainian side (the BBC was previously informed about this in the General Staff).