British commandos have trained hundreds of Ukrainian marines in the 'art' of amphibious raids

• British Royal Marines have been leading a five-week amphibous-warfare course for Ukrainian marines.
• As of August, some 900 Ukrainian troops, ranging from veterans to new recruits, had done the course.

For six months, British Royal Marines have been training hundreds of Ukrainian marines in "the art" of conducting commando raids and complicated amphibious operations.

Ukrainian special forces have been conducting similar operations along the rivers of southeastern Ukraine and around the Crimean Peninsula.

With Ukraine's counteroffensive now edging closer to Crimea, Kyiv's new amphibious force is arriving at a time when it can help complicate Russia's thinking about whether it can hold the territory it has captured.

Ukraine's new amphibious force

Some 900 Ukrainian marines — ranging from veterans to recent volunteers — have gone through the five-week course, led by British Royal Marine Commandos, since it began earlier this year, the British Royal Navy said in August.

The training for amphibious warfare operations and commando raiding was the heart of the effort. British specialist instructors "passed on invaluable expertise and knowledge" in how to plan and conduct raids at day and night using small boats and other craft, the Royal Navy said in a release.

The course also covered basic and advanced soldiering skills, including marksmanship, close-quarters combat, operational planning, small-unit tactics, fieldcraft, and battlefield first aid.

The British Commandos provided more advanced training on some weapons and tactics that have proven invaluable in Ukraine, including the Next Generation Light Anti-Tank Weapon, FIM-92 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, using drones for reconnaissance, and explosive demolition of obstacles like "Dragon's Teeth."

"The training I have received from the UK Royal Marines has been far more intense than I expected," one Ukrainian marine was quoted as saying in the release.

"I have learned so much and never expected to be doing the things I have done," the unnamed marine said, adding that the British training in "how to move and how to work together in a small team" will "make a difference when we return home to Ukraine."

The British Royal Marines Commandos are one of the best amphibious-warfare units in the world. A quasi-special-operations unit, the Commandos have fought in both conventional and special-operations roles for hundreds of years.

They are perhaps best known for their role in the Falklands War with Argentina in 1982. During the conflict, Royal Marines, each carrying heavy equipment, overcame superior Argentine forces while marching some 56 miles across East Falkland Island in just three days.

The training of the Ukrainian marines is just one component of an international training scheme that seeks to modernize the Ukrainian military.

Ben Wallace, who was British defense secretary until the end of August, said in the release that the UK had provided "world-leading training in frontline combat skills" to more than 20,000 Ukrainian recruits.

Wallace described the training provided by British Marines as a way to support Ukraine's efforts "to build its own distinct marine force and expand its capability to operate in a maritime environment."

Amphibious warfare in Ukraine

Now the question for Ukraine's military leaders is what to do with its newly trained marines.

The Ukrainian military could increase its raids along the Dnipro River or even conduct a large-scale amphibious operation in Crimea in conjunction with a ground assault. In August, Ukrainian special operators raided Russian positions in Crimea in what may have been a prelude to future attacks.

Often compared to an "unsinkable aircraft carrier," Crimea remains a key component of Russia's strategy to hold the ground it has taken in Ukraine, but Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have repeatedly said they intend to liberate the peninsula.

If Kyiv decides to attack Crimea, a marine commando force would be an ideal way to distract Russian forces and prevent them from responding fully to Ukraine's main thrust. A commando force could even spearhead an amphibious invasion — if Ukraine can manage the vast logistics of such an operation.

Ukrainian marines could also join the shadowy fight taking place in the marshes and inlets of the Dnipro River Delta.

For weeks, Ukraine's elite 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, has been raiding Russian positions along the eastern bank of the Dnipro or on the small islands in the Delta. Ukrainian marines could assist those operations and help tie down Russia's significant reserves in the area.

Whatever role Kyiv's new marines take, having a credible amphibious force will allow Ukraine's military to be more unpredictable and to complicate the Kremlin's planning for the war.

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations and Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He has a B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University, an M.A. in strategy, cybersecurity, and intelligence from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School.