Ukrainian paratroopers who took part in multinational, competitive exercises in the United Kingdom are bringing home silver medals after completing their trials alongside other international forces, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement today.
Soldiers from Ukraine’s airborne forces were invited this year by the British Army to take part in eight days of exercises and challenges alongside 127 other teams from 27 different countries, according to the ministry.
At one point in the exercises, British instructors noted that the Ukrainian team – competing alongside troops from Hungary, Moldova and Belarus – were some of the best participants in the trials.
The British Army says on its website that the so-called Cambrian Patrol exercises in Wales are unique and the largest of their kind. Foreign entrants, like the Ukrainian team, can claim the right to take part by winning similar competitions in their home country.
The paratroopers excelled in almost all areas of the trials, outperforming many other teams, according to a spokesperson of the Ukrainian Embassy in London, posting on Facebook.
The soldiers won silver medals, awarded by a Commanding Officer from the 160th Infantry Brigade, the defense ministry confirmed.
At the time of writing, it wasn’t clear which country or countries took home gold medals.
The Cambrian Patrol exercises are a series of tasks, challenges and simulated combat missions that the British Army arranges with international allies each year across the rugged terrain of the Welsh countryside.
As part of the exercises, soldiers had to react to quickly-developing situations.
The first surprise task involved using emergency combat medicine after a simulated helicopter crash. Later simulations involved ambushes, river crossings and the capturing of enemy combatants.
Last year’s event saw 139 patrols entered into the competition, including five overseas armies taking part for the first time with soldiers from Armenia, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, the Philippines and Moldova joining other nations at the popular event.
Other armies participating in Cambrian Patrol include Georgia, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Lithuania, New Zealand, Ireland, Serbia, Czech Republic, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Ukraine, Spain and France.
