Ukraine’s special operators have been ‘taking it to the Russians,’ the head of US Special Operations Command says | Insider

In order to breach Russian defenses, Ukrainian special operatives who have been trained by US Green Berets are getting ready to unleash a massive counteroffensive. 

Ukraine is preparing for a large-scale counteroffensive using a combination of armored vehicles, artillery, infantry, drones, and special operations forces to break through Russian lines. Ukrainian special operators heavily drew on their US training to shape the battlefield, ambush and harass Russian forces, and buy time for regular Ukrainian units to weaken Russia’s troops and vehicles. The US Green Berets and other special-operations units have been training Ukrainian special operators since 2014, particularly in unconventional warfare, small-unit tactics, foreign internal defense, and survival behind enemy lines. Although US trainers were withdrawn from Ukraine before Russia’s attack last year, US Army Special Forces operators continued to train Ukrainian commandos remotely and in NATO facilities in Europe, particularly in Germany. Ukrainian commandos have added their own “local” flavor to their training, adapting what they have learned to the conditions they face on the ground, such as developing ways to take out Russian tanks and gathering targeting information for long-range precision strikes behind Russian lines. If the upcoming attacks by Ukraine succeed, it will be a sign of the effective use of their US training. 

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/socom-commander-ukrainian-sof-have-been-taking-it-to-russia-2023-5