Israeli Ex-Commandos Train Ukrainian Volunteers

Civilian volunteers attend a training camp of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in Brovary, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Civilian volunteers attend a training camp of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in Brovary, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
TT

Israeli Ex-Commandos Train Ukrainian Volunteers

Civilian volunteers attend a training camp of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in Brovary, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Civilian volunteers attend a training camp of the Ukrainian Territorial Defense Forces in Brovary, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21, 2022. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A group of Israeli ex-commandos has been training Ukrainian civilians, the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported Friday.

Reporter Ronen Bergman said he met with the group and watched the training at a zone near the Polish border.

Bergman told the newspaper that the highest political echelons were aware of the training.

These trainers are from one of the many Israeli "military companies" that provide services in various countries worldwide, whether to military organizations or armies.

Direct services or training are provided by these companies, as well institutions, and businesses.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense and Intelligence must issue a formal license for this purpose.

The trainers tried to transfer their combat experience, the newspaper report said.

Some of them have been in Ukraine since the Russian operation began.

They arrived in Ukraine to perform this mission as a Jewish rescue team from different parts of Ukraine who came to provide assistance to Ukrainian citizens following the Russian attacks.

"I understand that there is a need for these exercises,” Yedioth Ahronoth quoted a senior Israeli source in the security establishment as saying.

“We are all united in our support and solidarity with the nation of Ukraine,” the anonymous official said.



China Sends Naval, Air Forces to Shadow US Plane over Taiwan Strait

A ship sails between wind turbines in the Taiwan strait off the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian province, China, April 10, 2023. (Reuters)
A ship sails between wind turbines in the Taiwan strait off the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian province, China, April 10, 2023. (Reuters)
TT

China Sends Naval, Air Forces to Shadow US Plane over Taiwan Strait

A ship sails between wind turbines in the Taiwan strait off the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian province, China, April 10, 2023. (Reuters)
A ship sails between wind turbines in the Taiwan strait off the coast of Pingtan Island, Fujian province, China, April 10, 2023. (Reuters)

China's military said on Tuesday it deployed naval and air forces to monitor and warn a US Navy patrol aircraft that flew through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, denouncing the United States for trying to "mislead" the international community.

Around once a month, US military ships or aircraft pass through or above the waterway that separates democratically governed Taiwan from China - missions that always anger Beijing.

China claims sovereignty over Taiwan and says it has jurisdiction over the strait. Taiwan and the United States dispute that, saying the strait is an international waterway.

The US Navy's 7th fleet said a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft had flown through the strait "in international airspace", adding that the flight demonstrated the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations," it said in a statement.

China's military criticized the flight as "public hype", adding that it monitored the US aircraft throughout its transit and "effectively" responded to the situation.

"The relevant remarks by the US distort legal principles, confuse public opinion and mislead international perceptions," the military's Eastern Theater Command said in a statement.

"We urge the US side to stop distorting and hyping up and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability."

In April, China's military said it sent fighter jets to monitor and warn a US Navy Poseidon in the Taiwan Strait, a mission that took place just hours after a call between the Chinese and US defense chiefs.