Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have received NATO training to help them face Russia. One commander told the Financial Times that if he followed NATO advice to the letter, he'd be dead. "If I only did what [western militaries] taught me, I'd be dead," said a special-forces commander in Ukraine's 78th regiment who spoke to the FT. In some cases, Ukrainian soldiers have decided to ditch their training completely because it proved ineffective on during their slow-moving counteroffensive, The New York Times reported earlier this year. NATO forces also train Ukrainian soldiers to overwhelm their enemies with the type of firepower that it does not possess.

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Persons: he'd, I'd, Suleman, openDemocracy, RUSI Organizations: NATO, Financial Times, Service, US, 41st Mechanized Brigade, New York Times, Royal United Services Institute Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Ukraine's, Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany