Ukrainian Trainers to Prep German Army Against Russia by 2029

Germany will host Ukrainian military instructors at army schools as part of a plan to reach full readiness against a potential Russian attack on NATO by 2029, according to Lieutenant General Christian Freuding.

The agreement marks a role reversal after years in which Western troops trained Ukrainian forces. Berlin and Kyiv finalized the arrangement last month, with Ukraine sending trainers to teach lessons learned in combat against Russia’s invasion.

Freuding told Reuters, “We have high expectations. The Ukrainian military is currently the only one in the world with frontline experience against Russia.”

The deployment follows an agreement signed between the German and Ukrainian defense ministries, under which Ukrainian instructors will embed at Bundeswehr schools to pass on battlefield knowledge accumulated over more than four years of full-scale war, according to Defense News.

What the Ukrainian Instructors Will Teach

The initial contingent of trainers will likely number in the "middle double-digits" and stay for a few weeks at a time. They are expected to share knowledge in areas including artillery, armored operations, drones, engineering, and command and control.

The expertise will span artillery, engineering, armored operations, drone employment, and command and control, the areas where the war in Ukraine has produced the most rapidly evolving lessons. The move reflects a growing recognition across NATO that European armies have much to learn from Kyiv, Defense News reports.

Since 2022, Germany has trained Ukrainian forces on systems such as Marder infantry fighting vehicles, Leopard tanks, howitzers, and air defense platforms. Ukrainian forces have refined these skills in combat, adding data-centric warfare tactics that are not found in textbooks.

Why 2029 Matters

Freuding emphasized that intelligence assessments suggest Russia could be ready for a large-scale NATO attack by 2029. “That’s almost the day after tomorrow. The enemy doesn’t wait for us to declare we’re ready,” he said, stressing the urgency of learning from Ukraine’s frontline experience.

"We have no time. The enemy doesn't wait for us to declare we're ready. So we have to use every possibility to prepare," Freuding said.

Russia continues to deny any intent to attack NATO, but Western officials caution such assurances cannot be taken at face value, citing Moscow’s prior statements before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“The fact that they are now coming to us as instructors reflects a security partnership on an equal footing,” Freuding said.

Germany's Wider Military Buildup

Germany is Ukraine's most significant backer after the United States, which has paused direct military support to Ukraine under the Trump administration, according to Defense News. By the end of 2025, Germany had provided a total of 20 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute.

The announcement comes as Berlin accelerates its Bundeswehr buildup, with Defense Minister Boris Pistorius targeting defense spending of 3.5 percent of GDP by 2029 as part of an ambition to field Europe's most powerful conventional army.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also pledged to share Ukraine’s combat expertise with the United States in countering Iranian drones in the Middle East.

Germany is the first Western country to formalize such a training arrangement, but Freuding expects others will follow Kyiv’s example in the coming years.

Clash Report has reported on related German moves, including Germany's elite special forces preparing for a prolonged war with Russia and Berlin's turn to cheap Ukrainian cruise missiles to deter Russia. The UK and Ukraine have likewise moved to expand their drone collaboration.