Danish troops to train in Ukraine to study drone warfare, top general says

Boysen said several groups of Danish soldiers from various regiments will be deployed to Ukraine for training missions. The troops will be unarmed and are expected to attend short courses lasting one to two weeks, likely starting this summer.

“Those soldiers are not going there to take part in the war,” Boysen said. “They’re going to gain experience—and only at the invitation of my Ukrainian counterpart, the Commander of the Ukrainian Army.”

The initiative follows two recent visits Boysen made to Ukraine, which he said helped inform Denmark’s interest in Ukraine’s battlefield innovations. In particular, the Danish Armed Forces are keen to learn from Ukraine’s experience with drone warfare over three years of full-scale war.

It’s still unclear how many Danish soldiers will take part in the training program, Boysen noted, but both instructors and active-duty personnel will be involved.

The training will take place far from the front lines, most likely in western Ukraine, such as in Lviv, Boysen said.

“They’ll be training well away from the front—somewhere like Lviv in western Ukraine,” he said. “And if there is a missile strike, the Ukrainians have excellent warning systems and shelters. I’ve spent time in one myself, in Kyiv.”

The plan has drawn criticism from Russia’s embassy in Copenhagen.

“Sending Danish military personnel to Ukraine, including for combat experience, draws Denmark deeper and deeper into the conflict and risks provoking further uncontrollable escalation,” Russian Ambassador Vladimir Barbin said in a written comment to TV 2.