On October 20 Chief of Defence of Lithuania Maj Gen Valdemaras Rupšys and a delegation of representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and the Lithuanian Armed Forces started a three-day visit to Ukraine. Chief of Defence will see Lithuanian soldiers deployed to the Military Training Mission Ukraine and Chief of Defence of Ukraine Lieutenant General Ruslan Khomchak.
On the first day of the visit Maj Gen V. Rupšys will visit soldiers at training centres in Desna, later he will continue the formal visit in Kyiv where he will discuss bilateral and multilateral military cooperation of Lithuania and Ukraine, security situation and other relevant issues related to the reform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Chief of Defence of Ukraine.
On the second and third days of the visit Lithuanian Chief of Defence will got to the 142nd training center of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces in Berdychiv and the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in Yavoriv to familiarise with military personnel training programmes, their implementation, infrastructure, and the service conditions the Lithuanian soldiers have.
The Military Training Mission Ukraine of Lithuania currently comprise 30 soldiers.
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The Lithuanian Armed Forces support Ukraine's defence sector reforms, especially concerning military training. Lithuanian military instructors have been taking part in a programme for training battalions and special forces of the Ukrainian armed forces and actively contributing to the reform of the NCO training system on their own and together with U.S., Canadian, British and Polish colleagues since 2014.
With the establishment of the Lithuanian Military Training Mission in Ukraine on 27 June 2017, up to 60 Lithuanian military instructors and civilian National Defence System personnel can participate in the program at the same time until 31 December 2019. Lithuanian troops are deployed in Ukraine for the purpose of training Ukrainian forces.
Soldiers of Ukraine are constantly invited to study at military training institutions in Lithuania and study at the Baltic Defence College on Lithuanian funding, also, attend various courses held for the in Lithuanian Armed Forces units.
Spokesperson for the Chief of Defence Maj Tomas Balkus
+370 5 278 5091, +370 682 25359, tomas.balkus@mil.lt
Photo credits: Sgt Spc Ieva Budzeikaitė
