Soldiers from CFB Shilo in Manitoba preparing to train Ukrainians in U.K. face language barriers

Soldiers from CFB Shilo in Manitoba departing for a mission in the U.K. to train Ukrainian soldiers say the biggest challenge may be language barriers.

Bags belonging to members of the 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, were loaded on buses in advance of their journey across the pond Monday. Their goal is to help turn Ukrainian civilians into soldiers as part of the Canadian Armed Forces operation Unifier. 

"I'm very proud of 2PPCLI focus and drive to accomplish the mission," said regiment Capt. Joshua Register.

"It's somewhat solemn.… I would say we were excited, but we're going over there to help people defend their country from a threat."

He said the biggest challenge of the training will be the language barriers between troops.

Register has been told roughly 10 per cent of the Ukrainians have fluent English skills, and about 30 per cent have passable English skills. The remainder of those being trained will have to use interpreters.

CFB Shilo soldiers will be in the U.K. for around six months with a company of about 200 troops. 

The operation began in 2015 with Canadian soldiers training Ukrainian soldiers in specialized tactics and leadership in their home country, Register said. 

Since the operation began, the Canadian Armed Forces have trained more than 35,000 Ukrainian military and security personnel in battlefield tactics and military skills.

Now the training has been transformed by the Russian invasion, and the latest iteration of the operation launched in July 2022 in the U.K.

Since the beginning of the conflict, members of CFB Shilo have been "champing at the bit" to help.

"We're just really satisfied and focused on being able to help the conflict in a meaningful way," Register said.

During the operation, regiment soldiers work with Ukrainians who have no military experience to turn them into soldiers.

Soldiers will provide condensed training exercises over 33 days with a focus on marksmanship, and some training in other aspects of combat, including medical care and helping civilians.

"This takes people who are a resource there, and turns them into more effective fighters to defend their home," Register said.

Regiment troops have been practising and repeating training and drills through interpreters as part of their preparation for deployment. 

It can be hard to say how the training will go, Register said, until they actually get on the ground and start doing it. 

Soldiers will just take themselves and their gear uniform with them, he said. All other items for training will be supplied by overseas military partners.

Warrant Officer Shelldon Hawman, who is part of the contingent departing to the U.K., described the operation as Canada's commitment to Ukraine.

"No more is it a question whether they're going to have to go stand the line … at that end of that 33 days they will be sent to their units that are already fighting in the Ukraine," Hawman said.

Before being posted to Shilo, Hawman spent four years at the 5th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. Hawman said he will use his experience as a teacher there while in England.

Training the Ukrainians will be no different than training civilians in Canada, he said. The Canadian military takes civilians who join the Canadian Armed Forced and trains them in the same way.

"It's just the time frame's a little more crunched and the end is a definitive, like, you will be going to use these skills," Hawman said.

For him, the focus will be developing three skills for Ukrainian soldiers — shooting, moving and communication. That includes how to work within a section, move as a section and do weapons training.

"We've trained for this as well and spent a lot of time becoming professional soldiers, and now all these guys get a chance to pass on that knowledge and hopefully help the people in Ukraine."