At a British army base somewhere in the
east of England, Ukrainian soldiers
pause their military leadership training
to celebrate their independence.
These soldiers are the latest cohort of
over 58,000 Ukrainians to have received
training in the UK as part of Operation
Interlex. They're far from home, but
their national pride and determination
is unddeinished.
[Music]
What's really carved in my heart is this
day is a remembrance day for all the
fallen soldiers who were fighting for
our country, who are fighting for our
freedom. And this day is a remembrance
day for me. First of all,
of course, I'm very happy to be here,
but at the same time, it's quite a sad
day for me because I cannot share the
joy of the super important celebration
for us Ukrainians with my family and my
closest ones. But it is great to be here
and to have the ability to train here.
>> King Charles, who met with Vladimir
Zilinski in June, reiterated his support
for the people of Ukraine through social
media. I keep feeling the greatest and
deepest admiration for the unbreakable
courage and spirit of the Ukrainian
people, he said. I remain hopeful that
our countries will be able to further
work closely together to achieve a just
and lasting peace in Ukraine. In reply,
President Zilinski said, "His majesty's
kind words are a true inspiration for
our people during the difficult time of
war. We appreciate the United Kingdom's
leadership in supporting Ukraine and our
just cause to defend freedom from
tyranny and ensure a lasting peace in
Ukraine and throughout Europe.
Operation Interlex involves an army of
nations, 13 in all, most of them
represented here, as a sign of
continuing solidarity with Ukraine.
There's definite value in what we're
doing here that we that we teach the
basic recruits how to be soldiers. And
for them, that allows them to be
survivable and to be lethal and to be
resilient. So, they get back out to
Ukraine, they join their units, and they
can take the fight to the enemy. Many of
the soldiers here say they take great
comfort from seeing Ukrainian
Independence Day being marked in other
countries around the world. A
celebration of the history, tradition,
and culture of the country that they're
fighting so hard to defend. It's been an
emotional day for the soldiers of all
the nations represented here. A day to
acknowledge the value of the
partnerships and friendships they've
forged with their Ukrainian counterparts
who will soon be back on the front
lines. Fraser Maud, Sky News.