Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY AUG 16 2022

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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 16 augusT 2022
Urban combat and beyond: Ukrainian recruits get UK training

By JILL LAWLESS sic infantry course, which
A BRITISH ARMY BASE, Eng- takes Ukrainian recruits
land (AP) — A few weeks and teaches them to shoot
ago, Serhiy was a business well, to move and com-
analyst at an IT company. municate well within any
Zakhar was a civil engineer. tactical environment, and
Now they are soldiers, train- to medicate well,” said
ing to liberate Ukraine from Maj. Craig Hutton, a Scots
Russia’s invasion — but do- Guards officer helping to
ing it more than 1,000 miles oversee the training.
(1,600 kilometers) away in Hutton says many of the
Britain. Ukrainian troops have little
They are among several military experience but
hundred Ukrainian recruits “they are so motivated.
pounding through an in- They have a fantastic will
tense form of infantry train- to learn, and they just want
ing at an army base in to practice, practice and
southeast England. One practice more.”
batch of the 10,000 Ukrai- More than 1,000 U.K. per-
nian soldiers that the Brit- sonnel are involved in the
ish military has pledged training mission, taking
to train within 120 days, place at four bases around
they are spending several Ukrainian volunteer military recruits take part in an urban battle exercise whilst being trained by the U.K. Other countries are
weeks learning skills includ- British Armed Forces at a military base in Southern England, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. also sending trainers, in-
ing marksmanship, battle- Associated Press cluding Canada, the Neth-
field first aid and crucially erlands, New Zealand and
for their country’s future ur- the streets of their own cit- experience, from Iraq, Af- weapons handling, first aid, the Nordic nations.
ban warfare. ies.. ghanistan. We can adapt patrol tactics and the law Britain is sending the Ukrai-
As the Ukrainians practice “The most important part is all this knowledge to the of conflict. The aim is to nians home with new uni-
house-clearing amid the urban training, because it’s Ukrainian situation and use turn raw recruits into battle- forms, body armor, helmets
rattle of gunfire and pall the most dangerous com- it to liberate our country ready soldiers in a matter and other gear, part of 2.3
from smoke grenades on bat, in cities,” said Serhiy, from Russian invasion.” of weeks. The first batch ar- billion pounds’ ($2.8 bil-
a mock-townscape where who like the other Ukrai- British trainers are put- rived last month and have lion) worth of U.K. military
British soldiers once trained nians did not want his full ting the Ukrainian troops already been sent back to aid to the country that also
for operations in Northern named used because of through a condensed ver- replenish depleted Ukrai- includes anti-tank missiles
Ireland, they think about security concerns. “The Brit- sion of the British Army’s nian units. and sophisticated rocket-
driving Russian troops from ish instructors have a lot of infantry training, covering “We are running a ba- launch systems.q

WNBA’s Brittney Griner appeals her

Russian prison sentence

By JIM HEINTZ fense team presented writ- punishment was exces-
Associated Press ten statements that she sive. They said that in simi-
MOSCOW (AP) — Lawyers had been prescribed can- lar cases defendants have
for American basketball nabis to treat pain. received an average sen-
star Brittney Griner have Her February arrest came tence of about five years,
filed an appeal of her nine- at a time of heightened with about a third of them
year Russian prison sen- tensions between Moscow granted parole.
tence for drug possession, and Washington, just days Before her conviction, the
Russian news agencies before Russia sent troops U.S. State Department de-
reported Monday, amid into Ukraine. At the time, clared Griner to be “wrong- U.S. Basketball player Brittney Griner looks through bars as she
talks between the U.S. and Griner, recognized as one fully detained” a charge listens to the verdict standing in a cage in a courtroom in Khimki,
Russia that could lead to a of the greatest players in that Russia has sharply re- outside Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Aug. 4, 2022.
high-profile prisoner swap. WNBA history, was returning jected. Associated Press
Griner, an eight-time all- to Russia, where she plays Reflecting the growing
star center with the WNBA’s during the U.S. league’s off- pressure on the Biden ad- and other news organiza- Russian and U.S. citizens is
Phoenix Mercury and two- season. ministration to do more tions have reported that being discussed through
time Olympic gold medal- Lawyer Maria Blagovo- to bring Griner home, U.S. Washington has offered to the channels defined by
ist, was convicted Aug. 4 lina was quoted by Russian Secretary of State Antony free Viktor Bout, a Russian our presidents,” Alexander
after police said they found news agencies on Monday Blinken took the unusual arms dealer who is serving Darchiev, head of the For-
vape canisters containing as saying the appeal was step of revealing publicly in a 25-year sentence in the eign Ministry’s North Amer-
cannabis oil in her luggage filed, as was expected, but July that Washington had U.S. and once earned the ica department, told state
at Moscow’s Sheremetye- the grounds for it weren’t made a “substantial pro- nickname the “Merchant news agency Tass.
vo Airport. immediately clear. posal” to get Griner home, of Death.” “These individuals are, in-
Griner admitted that she The nine-year sentence along with Paul Whelan, an On Sunday, a senior Russian deed, being discussed. The
had the canisters in her lug- was close to the maximum American serving a 16-year diplomat said talks about Russian side has long been
gage, but said she had in- of 10 years, and Blagovo- sentence in Russia for es- an exchange have been seeking the release of Vik-
advertently packed them lina and co-counsel Alex- pionage. conducted. tor Bout.
in haste and that she had ander Boykov said after Blinken didn’t elaborate, “This quite sensitive issue The details should be left to
no criminal intent. Her de- the conviction that the but The Associated Press of the swap of convicted professionals.”q