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September 1, 2023The Association of Instructors in Spain is training foreign mercenaries who intend to go to Ukraine.
This information reported according to El País.
A company based in the city of Lleida offers a course for €700 for those who wish to participate in the war in Ukraine. The training lasts for five days and is aimed at preparing volunteers for what they will face on the ground.
“Even if people enrolling in the course are already professionals, it will help them understand the tactics and how to use drones,” says a member of G.O.A. Tactical, the association of instructors conducting the training, who have already been to Ukraine.
According to representatives of the company, they act as intermediaries in dealing with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. They also facilitate transportation and contacts to ensure that the person is directed to the International Legion unit, as claimed by G.O.A. Tactical. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against traveling to Ukraine under any circumstances.
In March 2022, a few weeks after the start of the large-scale invasion, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine launched a program to recruit around 20,000 foreign volunteers, mainly into the International Legion. The current number of foreign military personnel in the country is secret. G.O.A. Tactical is looking for people with two years of experience in the field, whether they are military, police or civilians. Once there, volunteers sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense, which can amount to €3,400 if they join elite units, €2,800 on the front lines, and roughly €1,000 less if they are in rear positions and perform administrative tasks. Either side can terminate the agreement at any time.
“In Ukraine, a problem arose when the Pandora’s box of mercenaries was opened. Many inexperienced and untrained people arrive. In less than a week, many of those who have just arrived terminate their contracts,” explains one of the instructors from G.O.A. Tactical.
He participated in the war in Ukraine and asked not to be named for safety reasons.
“We use our experience in the country to provide aspiring volunteers with basic knowledge of the situation on the ground, reassure the Ukrainian government that newcomers meet minimum requirements and avoid the weeks of hassle associated with a self-organized trip,” he adds.
The head of the company, whose central office is located in the small town of Alpicat (population 6,300), Francisco Galván, explains that they are the only ones in Spain offering this kind of training. He assures that they currently have four people in Ukraine.
Police sources confirm that G.O.A. Tactical has been organizing courses for several years, which can be seen on the company’s social media, popular among police and military personnel. The company is not registered in the commercial registry, as Galván claims it is an association of instructors. According to him, they currently have 200 instructors “around the world” and 25 fighters “in South America, Nigeria, Lebanon, and Iraq,” and four in Ukraine. Within a day after the publication of the appeal in the Segre newspaper, Galván claims that he received about thirty applications. Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasize that there are no guarantees that people who have gone to Ukraine can be helped or even located.
Ukraine needs soldiers. The Armed Forces have about 500,000 military personnel, although with other state security forces involved in the fight, the number approaches 700,000. However, Ukraine does not conduct compulsory mass conscription and losses are increasing. According to US military intelligence, during a year and a half of the war, the Ukrainian army lost about 190,000 people due to injuries and fatalities.
In May of last year, American Sergeant Sarah Ashton-Chirillo told El País that few foreigners enter service in the regular Ukrainian army because the level of commitment and dedication must be very high. However, there are professional soldiers who aim to enhance their resume with combat experience in Ukraine. Which will provide them with more opportunities for work in private security companies on better terms in the future.