Ukrainian military trainers will help prepare Germany’s army to defend against a possible Russian attack on NATO by 2029, the head of the German army said, Reuters reported on Wednesday, March 11.
Germany and Ukraine agreed last month that Kyiv would send military instructors to German army schools to share lessons learned from fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“We have high expectations,” German army chief Lt. Gen. Christian Freuding told Reuters. “The Ukrainian military is currently the only one in the world with frontline experience against Russia.”
Freuding said the first group of Ukrainian instructors would likely include several dozen personnel who would spend several weeks training German soldiers. The trainers are expected to share expertise in artillery, drones, armored operations, engineering and command-and-control systems.
The German army chief said the cooperation is part of preparations for a potential large-scale Russian attack on NATO by 2029, a timeline referenced in assessments by German and other Western intelligence agencies.
“That’s almost the day after tomorrow. We have no time – the enemy doesn’t wait for us to declare we’re ready,” Freuding said.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Germany has trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers on Western weapons systems including Leopard tanks, Marder infantry fighting vehicles, artillery systems and air defenses.
Freuding said Ukrainian forces have since developed new battlefield tactics based on combat experience, including advanced drone operations and highly digitalized “data-centric” warfare.
“The fact that they are now coming to us as instructors reflects a security partnership on an equal footing,” he said.