CALIFORNIA—In a March 18, 2022 press release, The United States Department of Defense indicated in a press release from March 18, that soldiers from the California National Guard joined thousands of troops on the ground in Europe supporting allies in an unprovoked attack on Ukraine by Russia.
Lt. Colonel Brandon Hill made the following statement to reporters from Coffee or Die, the newsletter from The Black Rifle Company:
“I was shocked at the news of the invasion, and it breaks my heart to see this happening to Ukraine. However, I am extremely proud of the Ukrainians fighting to protect their sovereignty and way of life. They are fighting with dignity and honor while showing the world how resilient and courageous Ukrainians are.”
Russia had 150,000 boots on foot in Ukraine as Russian soldiers attacked a maternity hospital of mothers and newborns. In a separate attack, the Russian troops bombed a shelter that held Ukrainian children and their families.
A total of 12,000 troops were deployed at the onset of the war, 7,000 were from the First Armored Brigade Combat Team 3rd Infantry Division out of Stewart, Georgia. For the California Guardsman, training soldiers in Ukraine is something they have done since 1993.
https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1504941896535265288
An additional 180 U.S. troops deployed to Europe on March 2. On March 7, the Pentagon announced 500 additional troops were sent to aid countries in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The following countries and territories are members of NATO:
Canada (1949), Croatia (2009), France (1949), Germany (1955), Greece (1952), Hungary (1999), Czech Republic (1999), Denmark (1949), Estonia (2004), Albania (2009), Belgium (1949), Bulgaria (2004), Iceland (1949), Luxembourg (1949), Montenegro (2017), Netherlands (1949), Italy (1949), Latvia (2004), Lithuania (2004), North Macedonia (2020), Norway (1949), Poland (1999), Slovakia (2004), United Kingdom (1949), Portugal (1949), Romania (2004), Slovenia (2004), Spain (1982), Turkey (1952), and the United States (1949).
Reports indicate that 7,000 Russian troops were killed the first three weeks following the invasion of Ukraine. As of March 21, the death toll of Russian soldiers has risen to 10,000. The United States estimates approximately 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed.
