Ukrainian Peacekeepers in Eurocorps Keep Busy
On January 16 the latest rotation of the Third Ukrainian Detached Engineers Battalion on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon began. Of 688 officers and men 288 will be relieved in three stages on January 16, 19, and 22. The battalion is there to clear mines, build roads, fortifications, and strongholds for the UN peacekeeping force. In two years in Lebanon, the Ukrainian engineers have checked over 35,000 square meters for mines and cleared some 5,000 minefields, laid 9,000 kilometers of power lines, and prepared six helicopter pads.
Sending the Ukrainian peacekeepers to Lebanon was preceded by rigid personnel selection procedures. Lieutenant Colonel Anatoly Vinnyk told The Day that all the men had undergone special retraining courses because the engineers battalion would operate in a complicated and unusual environment. In the end, all officers and men were fully equipped to cope with the mission. Warrant Officer Ihor Shapoval added that a peacekeeping mission attracts many, as the personnel selection contest showed. Primarily, high pay (a private receives about $500 a month — Author), but also an opportunity to test one’s abilities, get new professional experience, and master new equipment.
This year Ukraine is marking the tenth anniversary of its participation in peacekeeping operations. Over the period some 13,000 officers and men have been and continue on peacekeeping missions in the former Yugoslavia, Angola, Tajikistan, Guatemala, Sierra Leone, and elsewhere. Ukraine ranks among the top ten countries as a contributor to UN peacekeeping efforts.
Apart from professional experience, Ukrainian peacekeepers prove a tangible national asset, as more than $80 million has been transferred to the budget by the UN Secretariat in the past decade.
During the ceremony of seeing off the Ukrainian contingent, Defense Minister Volodymyr Shkidchenko told journalists that the best servicemen will be awarded medals to commemorate the anniversary. Also, a memorial to twenty Ukrainian peacekeepers who died in the line of duty is likely to be erected. He stressed that there are no plans to expand Ukrainian peacekeeping operations at present. “There are no specific proposals from the United Nations, but if they are forwarded we will concentrate on Europe, where Ukraine is located.,” adding that the possibility of Ukrainian peacekeeping presence in Afghanistan is neither considered nor planned. Simultaneously, Ukraine has submitted proposals concerning participation in the European rapid deployment force. These proposals were met “positively in principle, but there is still a lot of work to be done.” The defense minister further announced that Ukraine offers its air mobile, helicopter, and engineers aviation units for participation. There are likely to be two state secretaries in the Ministry of Defense, one of whom will be a civilian. “We submitted our proposals to the president and received his consent,” he said but declined to identify the men, lest there be “unwelcome public excitement about the candidacies,” the ministerial press service later explained to The Day.
