President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has signed the previously adopted law on the admission of units of the armed forces of foreign states to the territory of the Ukrainian state in 2018 to participate in multinational exercises (№7428).
“29.01.2018 Returned with a signature from the president,” said in the information on the status of passing the legislative initiative on the website of the Ukrainian parliament on Jan. 29.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko submitted Bill No. 7428 to the Verkhovna Rada on Dec. 21. According to this document, Ukraine will host a number of multinational military drills, including the Ukraine – United States exercise Rapid Trident 2018, the Ukrainian-U.S. exercise Sea Breeze 2018, the multinational exercise Light Avalanche 2018, the multinational exercise Clear Sky 2018, and the Ukrainian-Romanian exercise Riverian 2018.
According to the bill, the multinational exercises will take place at the international peacekeeping and security center in the village of Starychi in the Yavoriv district of the Lviv region over the course of the entire year and involve a total of 13,000 servicemen and 16 aircraft: 10,000 Ukrainian servicemen, 1,500 from the U.S., 1,500 from other NATO member states, ten aircraft from Ukraine, three from the United States, and three from other NATO member states.
Rapid Trident 2018 will be held at the same center between June and November; it will last up to 16 days and involve up to 2,000 Ukrainian servicemen with their standard weapons and military hardware and up to ten Ukrainian aircraft. The United States will send up to 10,000 servicemen and up to ten aircraft, and other NATO member states will send the same numbers.
Sea Breeze 2018 will take place in the Black Sea, military airfields and ranges of the Ukrainian army, the Tendrovska Spit, the Ochakiv military port, Odesa International Airport, the Odesa Merchant Seaport, and the Yuzhny Merchant Seaport for 25 days between June and October. Up to 1,500 Ukrainian servicemen with standard weapons and military hardware, up to 30 ships, and up to ten aircraft will participate in the drill. The U.S. will send up to 1,000 servicemen, up to ten ships, up to two submarines, and up to ten aircraft. Other NATO countries will send up to 1,200 servicemen, up to ten ships, up to three submarines, and up to ten aircraft.
Light Avalanche 2018 will be held at the international peacekeeping and security center and on the Tisza River for ten days between August and October. The exercise will involve up to 300 Ukrainian servicemen with standard armaments and hardware and up to 100 servicemen apiece from Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, with armaments and hardware.
Clear Sky 2018 will be held at Ukrainian military airfields for up to 14 days between May and November. The drill will involve up to 350 Ukrainian servicemen with standard weapons and hardware and up to 20 Ukrainian aircraft. The U.S. will send up to 250 servicemen and up to 15 aircraft, and other NATO member states will send up to 100 servicemen and up to five aircraft.
Riverian 2018 will be held on the Danube River, in the Black Sea, and in Romania for 20 days between April and November. It will involve up to 200 servicemen with standard weapons and military hardware (100 from Ukraine and 100 from Romania), up to ten ships (four from Ukraine and six from Romania), and two Romanian aircraft.
The bill allows forces of the above states to visit Ukraine to participate in the exercises “within the framework of military cooperation.”
On Jan. 18 the Verkhovna Rada adopted the bill in a simplified procedure.
