- Ukraine is training eight new 'storm brigades' totaling 40,000 soldiers, according to Reuters.
- The recruitment campaign is part of a counter-offensive plan against Russia.
Ukraine is training eight new military units called 'storm brigades' comprised of 40,000 soldiers as part of the planned counter-offensive attack against Russia in the near future, according to a new report by Reuters.
As Russia continues its attacks in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has bolstered its recruiting campaigns in order to attract new volunteers.
"I want the war to be over as soon as possible, and I hope the strike brigade will make it happen a lot faster," Aleks, a translator with no prior military experience, told Reuters at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Aleks did not give his last name for security reasons.
Dmytro, another recruit who previously worked in a currency exchange office, said, "I wanted to join even more because I want revenge, as harsh as it may sound in the 21st century. We have to get revenge for all our people, for the murdered children."
The recruitment campaign for new brigades, drafted by the Interior Ministry rather than the army, began in February, according to the news outlet.
The new military units will fight with the Ukrainian army, but it will take up to four months to train those without any previous military experience, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told Reuters. Former police officers or soldiers could be trained in two months, he said.
2.5% of the brigades were made up of female fighters, he added.
"For them, the objective is to liberate Ukraine," Klymenko said in an interview in Kyiv. "We are writing the great history of our state for many future decades."
Late last month, in a secret location, members of the "Border of Steel" brigade were trained in target practice, flying drones, and rescuing injured soldiers.
The other brigades are named Hurricane, Spartan, Chervona Kalyna, Frontier, Rage, Azov, and Kara Dag — a mountain in Crimea.
More than a year into Russia's invasion of the country, a counter-offensive operation is considered crucial for Ukraine. If the fighters are unable to take back territory from occupying Russian troops, it could prompt Western allies to propose negotiations between Kyiv and Putin's regime.
Valeriy Padytel, commander of Border of Steel, would not hint at when they would launch their attack: "We will keep training, will train all the time while the brigade is being formed and while we are waiting for battle orders," he told Reuters.