We have been running Hostile Environments Awareness Training in Ukraine since late 2019, with a team leaving Kyiv in February of this year. However, we have had teams back in Ukraine running HEAT courses six times since then, the most recent finishing in early December. Since the full scale invasion we have run multiple courses in Kyiv and Lyiv, but have also run training in Mykolaiv, Dnipro, Zhytomyr and Chernihiv.

The content of our more typical HEAT courses [details here] were adapted to meet each specific client group’s needs, but also to reflect the current context of the war which changed and continues to change. Providing a synthetic environment in which people can safely rehearse their responses is what we do, but adaptions were required, not just because of the weather.

If 80% of war or war reporting is logistics, then you’ll understand that this has been a large part of each of these trips. Getting our team, and equipment, into and out of Ukraine presented some challenges, and the attributes of a good training venue have adapted to include “has an air raid shelter” but each of the trips has proven to be rewarding.

We were lucky to work with some partners that funded the training, and provided some safety equipment for the participants- we hope to provide a fuller report on the project in the New Year. But for now, it’s a case of resting up, and planning the next batch of training which we will be delivering in January/February 2024.

If you would like to know more about our training, email us on info@lazarustraining.co.uk

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