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Poorly trained recruits contribute to loss of Ukrainian territory on eastern front, commanders say
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Poorly trained recruits contribute to loss of Ukrainian territory on eastern front, commanders say

  • By SAMYA KULLAB Associated Press

Ukrainian commanders and soldiers say some new troops refuse to fire at the enemy. Others struggle to assemble weapons or to coordinate basic combat movements. A few have even walked away from their posts, abandoning the battlefield altogether. The commanders made the comments to The Associated Press as Ukraine is losing precious ground along the country's eastern front. The commanders blame the erosion in part on poorly trained recruits drawn from a recent mobilization drive, as well as Russia's clear superiority in ammunition and air power. The recently conscripted Ukrainians are a far cry from the battle-hardened fighters who flocked to join the war in the first year of the full-scale invasion.