Azov Brigade recruits trained using NATO standards
The head of the Odesa recruitment center for the Azov Brigade, Taran, spoke with NV about the unit’s training standards and principles, as well as the combat instructors who help civilians find their path.
The 12th Azov Special Purpose Brigade puts a strong emphasis on the level of training for its recruits, using NATO standards to train its soldiers.
“The recruit we’re training now,” Taran explains, “in two months, will be in a trench with our brothers, alongside us. So we need to prepare him well enough to have full confidence in him.”
The basic combat training course for Azov recruits lasts six weeks. The new soldiers are trained by instructors with extensive combat experience. After completing the course, they are assigned to their respective units, where they receive additional training.
“Our soldiers are constantly learning,” Taran assures. “Training continues even for those units currently on the front lines. So when they come out of the trenches, they are still training.”
Back in 2015, Azov ditched all Soviet-era practices and began implementing NATO standards, striving to reach their level of preparation.
However, Taran notes that Azov’s combat training draws not only from NATO but also from other armed forces, such as the French Foreign Legion and the Israeli military.
“When civilians come in not knowing what unit they want to join or what exactly they want to do (and we get a lot of people like that),” Taran continues, “I always suggest they attend our basic combat training course. We have instructors there who observe the recruits and, based on their own experience, can suggest which path might suit them best. Representatives from various units—infantry battalions, artillery, intelligence—also come by to help guide them.”
According to Taran, the basic combat training course is the best way for civilians to figure out which unit is the right fit for them.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
