Danish soldiers head to Ukraine for drone training mission
General Peter Harling Boysen announced that Danish soldiers will go to Ukraine to train in the use of combat drones. The courses are planned to be conducted away from the frontlines. Copenhagen aims to gain first-hand knowledge to prepare its forces for future conflicts.
What do you need to know?
- Danish soldiers will train in Ukraine to use combat drones, which will help prepare them for future conflicts.
- The training will take place away from the frontlines, most likely around Lviv, and the soldiers will remain unarmed.
- Denmark has previously trained Ukrainian military personnel, and now the roles are reversing, which experts see as a step toward future military cooperation.
The commander of the Danish armed forces, Major General Peter Harling Boysen, announced on Wednesday the plan to send Danish soldiers to Ukraine, where they will participate in training conducted by the Ukrainian armed forces. The courses will focus on modern combat techniques using drones.
The Danish army learns from Ukrainians: it's about drones
During my last visit to Ukraine, I asked if we could participate in the courses to learn directly from Ukrainians. Now, such an opportunity has arisen, said Boysen in an interview with TV2.
According to plans, the first training sessions could start as early as this summer. The mission aims to pass on the knowledge gained to other soldiers upon returning to Denmark. The general emphasized the significance of modern drones on today's battlefield and noted their substantial effectiveness in Ukraine, accounting for over 70 percent of losses on the Russian side.
Denmark focuses on drones: Will soldiers end up in Lviv?
We must be able to use drones in offensive operations and defend effectively against them, he noted. He added that Danish soldiers would go to Ukraine unarmed and stay away from the front lines, most likely in the western part of the country, around Lviv.
At the same time, the general opposed a one-time, large purchase of drones for the Danish army, citing the rapid technological progress in this field.
At the end of March, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen opened a special military training center for drone operators in Odense, where about 100 soldiers and civilians work.
Denmark has now trained Ukrainian military personnel, including F-16 fighter pilots, which were transferred to Ukraine by Copenhagen. Now, the roles in this cooperation are reversing, positively assessed by Flemish Splidsboel Hansen, an expert from the Danish Institute for International Studies. He emphasized that Ukraine already has experience in handling over 70 types of drones.
Investments in drones are profitable – they show that drones can immobilize even expensive weapon systems, noted the expert.
Splidsboel Hansen also assessed sending Danish soldiers to Ukraine as a step toward gradually preparing Danish society for the possible future military presence of the country on Ukrainian territory. An alternative, he pointed out, could be establishing a joint training center in eastern Poland with the participation of Danish and Ukrainian forces.
