Ukraine plans to create civilian, volunteer forces on Lithuania’s model

“We want to adopt your good practices in creating two structures: volunteer soldiers and riflemen. Unfortunately, we do not have these in Ukraine. We will draw on your experience to create similar structures in Ukraine too. These are not only territorial defense units, but also a huge reserve,” Colonel General Mykhailo Koval, first deputy secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said in a news conference in Vilnius on Wednesday.

An international security conference aimed at sharing good practices with Ukraine’s military officers and politicians got underway at the Lithuanian Seimas on Wednesday.

Koval said in the news conference that Ukraine highly appreciates any aid from Lithuania, including material assistance, experience-sharing, ammunition and training.

The colonel general said that he had discussed with Defense Minister Juozas Olekas the possibility of Lithuania helping the Ukrainian army with weaponry and ammunition.

“If you have any old Soviet weapons, we need them. Most of our weapons are Soviet-made,” he said.

The Riflemen’s Union currently has around 10,000 members and the National Defense Volunteer Force has roughly 3,500 members.