- Denmark said it will send soldiers to Ukraine for training to learn from real-world combat.
- Unarmed troops will go to Western Ukraine to learn drone warfare, Denmark’s commander in chief said.
- Russia responded that the location of personnel and equipment would be a “legitimate target.”
Denmark is planning to send some of its soldiers to Ukraine so they can learn from
Ukraine’s experience fighting Russia
, and Russia said they would be legitimate military targets.
Maj. Gen. Peter Boysen, Denmark’s commander in chief,
told
state broadcaster TV 2 that unarmed Danish troops will be sent to learn
drone warfare
.
He said the troops would be stationed in Western Ukraine, which is far from the front lines but is still
subject to some Russian long-range missile attacks
.
“We’re sending some teams down to see what experiences the Ukrainians have had — first-hand,” Boysen said, according to a
translation
of his remarks by the Kyiv Independent.
“They are not going there to actively participate in the war,” he added.
Boysen mentioned that both operators and instructors would undergo courses lasting from one to two weeks, with the training expected to commence at the earliest opportunity, possibly during the summer. However, he stated that the number of personnel being deployed was still undecided.
Russia’s ambassador to Denmark, Vladimir Barbin, informed TV 2 that this action was seen as a provocation and warned it would “draw Denmark further into the ongoing conflict in Ukraine,” according to the Kyiv Independent’s translation.
He said that facilities “including headquarters, training and education centers, as well as locations of military personnel and military equipment, both deep inside Ukrainian territory and on the front line, are a legitimate target.”
Russia has characterized other Western assets in Ukraine, such as
plant for German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall
, as legitimate military targets, but has not had any reported or confirmed strikes on them.
Boysen said Ukraine has strong air raid warning systems and shelters, and said he spent time in a
shelter in Kyiv
when visiting Ukraine.
Learning from the war
Ukraine has become a world leader in drone warfare, rapidly innovating
new tactics, drone types, and countermeasures
.
Western nations have paid close attention.
Boysen stated that during his 42 years in the military, he has never witnessed such circumstances.
develop as quickly as they have
using unmanned systems and strategies.
We can gain significant insights from the battle knowledge they’ve acquired in Ukraine,” Boysen stated. “It’s evident that we depend on their expertise to improve our own fighting capabilities.
He additionally mentioned that the initiative began following an invite from Ukraine’s top military leader, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Drones have been
Used in Ukraine more frequently than in any other historical conflict.
. Boysen said attack drones account for more than 70% of Ukrainian kills.
Ukraine is largely producing its own equipment as well; it was reported that over 96% of the 1.5 million drones purchased last year had Ukrainian origins.
A future conflict
A dispute between Russia and the Western nations would probably take a form quite distinct from the conflict in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s reliance on drones has been partly driven by its
shortages of other weaponry and defenses,
and by it having a much smaller military than Russia.
But most warfare experts
agree that drones will be a key part of any future conflict
.
The West is also adopting lessons far beyond drones.
Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s Defense Minister, stated to Business Insider in February that Western countries could draw insights from Ukraine, particularly regarding accelerating weapon production.
He mentioned that we can gain significant insights from the armed forces, particularly when it comes to tactical strategies.
Denmark has already boosted its military expenditure, echoing the concerns of numerous other European countries by cautioning that
Russia might launch an assault in another part of the continent.
.
It is likewise the second-largest contributor of assistance to Ukraine relative to its GDP, and has taken a prominent position in
providing Ukraine with essential armaments, such as F-16 fighter jets
.
Poulsen stated that the allies ought to increase their backing for Ukraine even more: “It is essential that we provide Ukraine with all the resources they will require moving forward.”
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