The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (UASOF), the newest branch of the country’s Armed Forces, continue their development. Recently, UASOF operators conducted Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) defense training in the Chornobyl exclusion zone (the abandoned city of Pripyat). As part of the exercise, the operators were tasked with searching the city for a makeshift chemical laboratory, following the explosion of a so-called dirty bomb created by terrorists. This training was part of the evaluation process for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Response Force (NRF), certification, which is vital for the further deepening of cooperation and interoperability between the Ukrainian military and the Alliance. According to the existing UASOF development strategy up to the year 2035, Ukrainian special forces units should continuously and rotationally be represented within the NRF.
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The photo, released on on Oct. 10, 2020, shows Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces officers and their colleagues from NATO member states taking part in joint exercises on UK Royal Navy's destroyer Dragon.
