Ukrainian bomb disposers trained by Slovaks

The Slovak military in late 2014 trained Ukrainian specialists for demining and explosive ordnance disposal in Slovak military training facilities, and the courses are set to continue in 2015, said Defence Minister Martin Glváč. "At the moment, opportunities for carrying out five courses for a total of 90 members of the Ukrainian armed forces are being analysed", he added. In November, the Slovak military trained 13 Ukrainian pyrotechnic specialists in Novaky (Trenčín region) and 15 de-miners in Martin (Žilina region). Slovakia pledged to provide this kind of assistance to Ukraine at the NATO summit in Wales in September. The Defence Ministry, in cooperation with the Foreign and European Affairs Ministry and the Interior Ministry, has also sent several packages of material aid to Ukraine, including clothing and medical material. A further consignment is set to be sent later this month.