The base in western Ukraine that Russia just hit with missiles had been home since 2015 to a rotational presence of U.S. troops who were training Ukrainian forces about a half-hour drive from the border with Poland in Yavirov. The Americans withdrew last month.
That U.S. unit, Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine, most recently included about 150 members of the Florida National Guard. They were reassigned elsewhere in Europe as it became evident that Russia was likely to invade.
Even prior to the establishment of the rotational deployments in 2015, Western forces, including Americans, had used the base to train Ukrainians after the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014. This hit comes with significant symbolism.
The Pentagon reaffirms this morning the point that no U.S. troops were present at this training center outside Lviv when it came under fire.
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