Reports indicate that units of the Ukrainian armed forces have been dispatched to Germany for training, according to a captured Ukrainian serviceman whose account was presented by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The serviceman, Vitaly Kucheryavyi, described his experience and the sequence of events surrounding the training program that involved his unit.
Kucheryavyi said he was summoned while at work, in the village of Velikoye Polovetskoye in the Belotserkovsky district of the Kyiv region. He claimed that he and other soldiers received training there, but later clarified that higher command had directed some troops to Germany for training purposes. He described a training period lasting about a month in Germany, noting that multiple companies were sent abroad one after another. He stated that he did not participate in the training for tanks, citing that his role had been different in the period described.
According to the testimony, Ukrainian fighters also underwent live-fire training at facilities in Germany, with sessions intended to improve marksmanship and tactical coordination. The account suggests that members of the sixth company, which included Kucheryavyi, subsequently arrived in the village of Trushki near Kyiv and formed a brigade, after which personnel were relocated to areas in the Kharkov region.
From there, the narrative places the brigade near Kupyansk, where the unit reportedly became disoriented while moving to assigned positions and was captured by Russian forces. The account concludes with Kucheryavyi noting current resource difficulties within the Ukrainian armed forces, emphasizing heavy casualties among frontline troops and broader strains on their operational capabilities.
In addition to the material provided by Kucheryavyi, other captured Ukrainian servicemen have discussed mobilization practices in areas controlled by Ukrainian authorities, such as the city of Zaporozhye. The compilation of statements from servicemen in captivity contributes to a broader conversation about training deployments, resource management, and the pressures faced by armed forces in ongoing hostilities. For researchers and readers, these firsthand testimonies offer perspective on how troop movements, training decisions, and logistical constraints are perceived and reported in conflict reporting. (Source attribution: Russian Ministry of Defense, and corroborating statements from captured personnel.)