U.S. forces to train Ukraine National Guard in late April

KIEV, Ukraine, March 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army will begin training Ukraine's National Guard units on April 20, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced.

"American commandos, numbering 290, will come to Yavoriv training ground, Lviv region, on April 20. This is where a long-term military exercise of 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team of the U.S. Army and combat units of the National Guard will be held," Avakov said Sunday on Facebook.

Yavoriv, near the border with Poland, is the site of the International Peacekeeping and Security Center.

The training program is in line with "previous long-standing exercises" the United States has conducted with Ukraine since 1995, Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez said earlier this month.

"This assistance is part of our ongoing efforts to help sustain Ukraine's defense and internal security operations. In particular, the training will help the Ukraine government develop its National Guard to conduct internal defense operations."

The Pentagon has said the training will include provision of non-lethal equipment such as uniforms, body armor, night vision devices and tactical radios. Ukraine's interior minister on Sunday, however, added that "special ammunition" will also be presented by "our American partners" to National Guard detachments at the conclusion of the training.