Ukrainian soldiers have been training in the West since 2022 under the supervision of instructors from NATO countries. Some of them also went to Poland. In an interview with BBC News, the military do not hide that some of the methods proposed by Polish officers surprise them with their archaic nature.
This is how Polish instructors train Ukrainian soldiers
One of the Ukrainian soldiers, who is a drone operator, was surprised when the Poles started teaching him how to navigate in the field using a paper map. During the fighting in Ukraine, “Kastet” never had to use them because military people have all the maps on their phones and tablets.
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What teaching methods do Ukrainian soldiers in Poland criticize?
What did a soldier nicknamed 'Kastet' say about training?
What do Ukrainian soldiers think about using paper maps?
What training methods do Polish instructors use according to Ukrainian soldiers?
“After the first week, I called the commander and told him to take me away,” says the Ukrainian quoted by the BBC. As he added, he was taught trench fighting and urban skirmishes in accordance with the realities of the battlefield from 20 years ago.
Ukrainian soldier talks about “Grunwald textbooks”
The website also describes how Poles taught Ukrainians how to cross the river using armored personnel carriers. The first of them crosses the bridge as a scout. Marines who fought during landing operations on the Dnieper in 2023 took part in the training. One of them asked what if the bridge was destroyed. The Pole allegedly stated that the transporters could swim.
“He didn't understand at all that the entire shore was controlled by enemy droneswhich will leave nothing behind those BTRs sailing at a speed of 10 km per hour,” said Vitaly, who took part in the training.
Another course participant spoke in a similar tone. “They still teach from “Grunwald textbooks”” – says another BBC interlocutor, referring to outdated methods. According to the British station's material, it was the Ukrainians who showed Polish soldiers how to properly attack using drones.
The Ministry of National Defense spoke about the training of Ukrainian soldiers
The BBC asked the Polish Ministry of National Defense to comment on the matter. The response provided shows that the ministry did not receive any comments that the program did not meet the needs of the Ukrainian side. According to the ministry, the topic of drones was also to be discussed during the classes.
