A mutually respectful relationship has been the key to successful training between Australian soldiers and Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) members during Operation Kudu in the United Kingdom.
Operation Kudu is part of Operation Interflex, an international military training mission in the UK to provide training for the AFU in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Australian soldiers have been conducting a number of leadership courses.
While, officially, the ADF is training the AFU, Australian soldiers quickly recognised the experience of the Ukrainians and were keen to hear their stories and learn lessons from the frontline.
For some, their experience dates back before Russia's full-scale invasion.
One Ukrainian soldier was involved in the conflict in Luhansk in 2014, the same year they graduated from university as a lawyer.
After again being called into action in 2022, they left behind a job working in a factory developing electronic devices.
The Ukrainian soldier said the relationship with Australian soldiers had been excellent, and galvanised everyone on the course.
"Everything has been great working with the Australians, and the best part about it has been their dedication to the training and their treatment of us," they said.
"It has been amazing, and they have spoken about their respect for us, too.
"We want to express a huge thank you to them and we do appreciate it immensely. It's also very important to show that we are not alone in this war."
'This experience has been one of the most rewarding of my career, because the purpose of this mission has real-world impacts.'
Australian Contingent Commander Major Ben Carolan said the relationship was one of the highlights of the trip.
He said the importance of the mission and its consequences had not been lost on his soldiers.
"The AFU are fighting for their sovereignty," he said.
"This experience has been one of the most rewarding of my career, because the purpose of this mission has real-world impacts.
"It's easy to get up in the morning and work hard for this, and that has been the case for everyone here."
Working through language barriers, with lots of help from interpreters and some brief phrases being exchanged in each other's native tongue, the respective contingents have grown close throughout the training.
Another AFU soldier, a carpenter from Lviv, said the willingness to learn from each other had been key to the success.
"I really like the Australians' dedication to the training process and how they have treated us throughout the whole course," they said.
"Apart from that, I really appreciate the fact they value our experience and don't dictate to us how they want things to be done.
"Instead, they have taken into consideration what knowledge we have and what we know."
