Ukrainian deminers get training in Cyprus from US, Irish experts

Cyprus’ defense minister said Friday that Irish and U.S. military experts are training two Ukrainian squads to clear unregistered minefields in their country.

Minister Michalis Georgallas told the Associated Press that a first batch of 24 Ukrainians was training in Cypriot military locations, with another group due next month.

He claimed a European Union Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM Ukraine) created in October to support Ukraine oversaw the training.

Georgallas stated a 5,000-person demining team would take 30 years to clean all mines from unmarked minefields across the battle lines in Ukraine.

He added Cypriot officers train Ukrainians in Germany.

Cyprus demines hundreds of lethal armaments. The mines remain from the 1974 Turkish invasion that followed a coup to unify Cyprus with Greece.

The UN has helped demine a buffer zone between a Turkish Cypriot north and an internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south for years.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Kyiv was delaying its long-awaited counteroffensive against Russia’s occupying forces because it lacked adequate Western weapons to succeed without too many losses.

Since warmer weather improved battlefield conditions, a Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russia’s 14-month invasion was expected. In an interview aired Thursday, Zelenskyy told European broadcasters that a counteroffensive now would result in “unacceptable” casualties.

Since “not everything has arrived yet” in equipment, the Ukrainian president requested extra time.

Ukraine’s forces are preparing for an attack with Western training and modern weapons.

Cyprus won’t provide Ukraine its Soviet-era tanks, APCs, and AAM batteries since it’s fighting 35,000 Turkish forces in the north.