On April 22 Chief of Defence of Lithuania General Valdemaras Rupšys and Chief of the Defence Staff Major General Mindaugas Steponavičius conducted a work visit to Ukraine where they met with Commander-in-Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi and commanders of services and units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The meeting with General Syrskyi centered on Lithuania’s military assistance to Ukraine and military personnel training. Another important point of discussion was the situation overview and the importance of capability –air defence, maneuver, drone, etc., – development, as well as the effect of their integration on the battlefield.
“The Ukrainian military showcase an exceptional resolve and courage, but what counts the most on the battlefield is initiative. In order to take control of it the Ukrainians have to receive more military assistance, weaponry, ammunition. If they sufficed it, the Armed Forces of Ukraine could repel the advance and take over control. The Lithuanian Armed Forces will continue doing everything possible to support Ukraine because your victory is our victory,” said Chief of Defence of Lithuania.
The Lithuanian military delegation headed by General Rupšys also met with Lieutenant General Anatoly Kryvonozhko, Head of the Air Command "Center" of the Air Force of Ukraine who shared lessons learned in the fight against the aircraft, missiles and drones of the Russian invader army.
According to Chief of Defence, a strong air defence is costly but it is a solution to a part of the problem by disrupting the enemy air dominance, cut the damage to infrastructure and own forces. This requires well-trained technically highly qualified specialists who among other things could analyze enemy technologies, and precision ammunition.
In a meeting with representatives of the Center for Research of Trophy and Prospective Weapons Chief of Defence was briefed on the results of analysis conducted on enemy military technologies and lessons identified and learned during the war.
Lithuania steadily delivers training for the Ukrainian military. Lithuanian military instructors are contributing to the international training effort Interfelx in the United Kingdom and EUMAM in Germany. Over 2 thousand Ukrainian instructors, leaders and specialists have been trained in Lithuania in the past year and returned to fight for their homeland.
General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces
