'Small Number' of Ukraine Soldiers Get Drone Training in US

Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)
Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)
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'Small Number' of Ukraine Soldiers Get Drone Training in US

Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)
Illustrative: This image provided by the US Marine Corps shows a Switchblade 300 10C drone system being used as part of a training exercise at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California, on September 24, 2021. (Cpl. Alexis Moradian/US Marine Corps via AP)

Ukrainian soldiers are being trained in the United States to operate the deadly Switchblade drones that Washington is supplying to Kyiv, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.

Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said it was a "very small" number of Ukrainian troops who were already present in the US before Russia invaded their country, AFP said.

"We took the opportunity, having them still in the country, to give them a couple of days' worth of training on the Switchblades, so they can go back... to train others in the Ukrainian military," according to Kirby.

He said the 100 drones, which are essentially remotely controlled flying bombs which are crashed into targets where they explode, have been sent to Ukraine to bolster the military's fight against Russian troops.

"They arrived over there earlier this week. So they'll be getting into Ukraine quickly if they aren't already there," Kirby said, adding that the number of Ukrainian trainees was less than a dozen.

President Joe Biden announced on March 16 that, among other weaponry and munitions Washington was shipping to the Ukrainians, it would start sending the Switchblades.

Named for the way their wings unfold when launched, Switchblades are called loitering munitions, because they can be flown to target areas and held there until the right moment when a target is identified.

The operator then flies them into the target where they explode.

The original version, small enough to carry in a backpack, was used by US forces in Afghanistan.

A larger version, with enough explosives to take out armored vehicles, has also been developed. But the Pentagon would not say which one has been sent to Ukraine, if not both.

Meanwhile the United States announced Tuesday it was releasing another $100 million worth of military aid to Ukraine as its forces push Russians out from the Kyiv region.

Six weeks after Russia invaded and tried to quickly capture the capital, Kirby said they failed and had "completely withdrawn" from the Kyiv area as well as Chernigiv to the north.

Moscow has indicated it is preparing to intensify fighting in eastern and southern Ukraine, where its forces hold major chunks of territory.

But Kirby said the Pentagon had not yet seen a significant influx of reinforcement troops into that region, particularly the pro-Moscow Donbas area.



WHO Chief Back to Work after Being Discharged from Hospital

FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
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WHO Chief Back to Work after Being Discharged from Hospital

FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends the World Health Assembly at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, May 27, 2024. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

The head of the World Health Organization said on social media platform X on Thursday he had been discharged from a hospital in Rio de Janeiro after being admitted overnight.

"I felt unwell yesterday afternoon and was admitted to Samaritano Barra Hospital in Rio, but I was discharged this morning and am back to work," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Tedros, 59, suffers from hypertension. He was in Rio de Janeiro for the G20 summit where he met with US President Joe Biden and other leaders, advocating for strengthened global cooperation in health emergencies.

Local newspaper O Globo had reported earlier on Thursday that Tedros sought medical attention at the facility with "symptoms of labyrinthitis and an hypertensive crisis," after showing signs of being unwell.

According to the report, Tedros was examined on Monday by health professionals on duty at the G20 summit and given medicine for high blood pressure, but was released once he was stable.