British troops are training for Ukraine. I saw firsthand how real it feels
24 March 2025, 07:54
'There’s a realism about all of this that maybe wasn’t there a few years ago', one Major told me as we stood watching six young soldiers inching their way through a suspected 'minefield' in the Scottish Highlands.
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“It’s certainly a lot easier to make them understand why we’re doing all this”.
Army protocols prevented him from spelling it out for me as a reporter watching their training competition for the day, but it’s a fair bet to say he was referring to the fact these troops could soon end up in Ukraine if peacekeeping plans become reality.
They were certainly acting like that’s a distinct possibility.
Gone was any hint of banter and sledging towards other teams I’ve witnessed on a few of these types of events over the years. “No funnies today. This is serious”, I overheard one commander instruct.
They took on each real world scenario exercise, all of which seemed to replicate life in Eastern Europe, like it was their final run through.
As well as the marking of anti-personnel and anti-vehicle mines - which have claimed countless lives in the last three years - that included taking a ‘casualty’ as they came under heavy fire while patrolling what was meant to be a safe route.
It saw them having to don respirators as intelligence of potential chemical threats hidden by known actors in the area was passed on to them.
They would come across surrendering enemies who had been conscripted to the fight and have to capture them in accordance with international law.
And the threat of what a sudden drone strike would mean for the section was under active discussion.
All real life situations happening on a daily basis just a four hour flight from our shores.
It can already feel jarring when the Prime Minister talks about potentially sending thousands of our troops into that environment, even if the idea would be to arrive during a hypothetical peace deal.
But actually watching these young men and woman practising putting their lives at risk there only emphasised the consequences of what that decision could mean.
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Alan Zycinski is LBC's Scotland Correspondent.
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