Ukrainian Training In Britain Slashed By A Third Due To Noise ComplaintsSouth Front

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Written by Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher

The British training of Ukrainian troops has been slashed by nearly a third following noise complaints by outraged locals in Kent, southeast England. British media reported that Lydd Town Council told the Ministry of Defence that it received a “complaint made by residents” about loud noise from a nearby military training camp.

In a letter read out during a meeting at the council chambers and addressed to the “good people of Lydd,” the base’s Lieutenant Colonel Mark Powell wrote:

“We are deeply appreciative of the support we receive from Lydd while we train the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I understand this creates noise above and beyond what was typically produced by UK forces training at Lydd.”

“In response to a number of letters raised about the noise, I have directed my team to review our processes and can report we have reduced training activity by 30 per cent. We have rescinded the use of the most intense smoke effects and we will reduce the duration and intensity of the loudest sound effects. The people of Lydd have been unfailingly welcoming to my team and I am wholly committed to maintaining a strong relationship. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there are ever any concerns,” the letter added.

One local told British media, “I say close it. The explosions are very noisy indeed. They make the windows rattle. It’s murder – I hate living here but the trouble is we rent,” while another said, “one day it went on till 9.30 at night and I thought ‘Really?’.”

Britain and its allies have trained more than 17,000 Ukrainian armed forces personnel, but as seen through the outcome of the failed counteroffensive, they could not make the decisive breakthrough that Kiev was hoping for. It raises the question of why Kentish locals suffer through “constant ‘boom boom’ noise”, as one described.

The question is more important since there is near expert consensus that Ukraine cannot win the war and a peace deal needs to be found. In addition, the failed counteroffensive is becoming more expensive every day, raising the question of why Britain is training troops who will not make a difference on the ground and when the money can be used better to reconstruct Ukraine.

Ukraine is low on funds, which also significantly hampers its war effort. As spending on Ukraine’s failed counteroffensive continues to grow, Bloomberg reported, the country will need up to $14 billion in financial aid from the US in 2024.

According to Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko, there are talks about aid, but he is not confident that he will receive the necessary amount. In turn, Ukraine’s new Defence Minister, Rustem Umerov, stated that he intended to ask the cabinet for an increase of $6.8 billion in defence spending this year, as according to him, expenses are increasing, and “there is no certainty that Kiev will be able to cover all the needs.”

In 2023, Ukraine received almost US$10 billion in financial aid from the United States to cover Kiev’s budget deficit. The UK is the second largest donor and has committed £4.6 billion in military assistance to Ukraine so far (£2.3 billion in 2022 and a commitment to match that funding in 2023) and has pledged a paltry £347 million to provide humanitarian assistance, medical supplies, and other necessities to the Ukrainian population and for refugees in neighbouring countries to 2025.

As seen from these figures, the UK has pledged more than 5x the amount of military aid to Ukraine than it has to humanitarian. This is because Britain is not interested in assisting the Ukrainians but rather in prolonging the war in the misguided belief that it weakens and drains Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on September 12 that Ukraine lost 71,500 servicemen since the beginning of the counteroffensive and achieved no results.

“Ukraine is conducting a so-called counteroffensive. Of course, there are no results. Now we are not going to assess it – whether it is a failure or not. There are no results, there are losses. Big ones. Since the beginning of this counteroffensive, 71,500 servicemen have been destroyed [by Russian units],” Putin said, adding that Kiev has also lost 543 tanks and almost 18,000 armoured vehicles of various classes.

Effectively, the US and Britain are wasting billions into a financial blackhole for no tangible results. News that the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Britain is being slashed by nearly a third due to noise complaints also points to the fact that Westerners are losing patience with even the slightest inconveniences caused by the war.