Russia-Ukraine war: King Charles III visits Ukrainian military recruits undergoing training

King Charles III visited military recruits undergoing training with the British Army in Wiltshire on Monday (February 20). The training is part of their intensive five-week course to help them prepare for combat upon their return to their country.

The mission delivers basic combat training to around 20,000 Ukrainians, who are mostly civilians at an undisclosed location in the county. The monarch also watched a short defensive training exercise as he struck up conversation with some of the recruits.

The King, accompanied by General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of General Staff, also met other international military personnel who are helping the Army with the Ukrainian recruits. According to the BBC, King Charles III said he is “full of admiration” for the Ukrainian soldiers.

Capt Freddie Bradshaw from 1 Irish Guards said: "We’re trying to get them to learn how to use the ground to their advantage. We’ve got urban and trench complexes which they can use. They need to learn how to fight in a forest - a lot of Ukraine is forest.

"There’s a huge amount of experience from the training teams here. We are trying to make them as lethal as possible in a short space of time - five weeks is a very condensed training package.”

The BBC reported the King as telling one of the senior officers: "You are amazing, I don’t know how you do it. I am full of admiration.” Afterwards, with the help of a translator, King Charles took time chatting to 20 of the Ukrainians. Many of the recruits left their civilian jobs to join the army, including a mechanic and a teacher.