The modern Ground Forces of Ukraine (Ukrainian: ZSU) were established in December 1991 on the basis of the remaining ground units in the territory of the former Ukrainian Soviet Republic, as well as bases or warehouses for military supplies and ammunition. Since then, the number of ground forces has been systematically reduced until 2014, the beginning of Russian aggression in Donbas. In 2016, the ground forces numbered approximately 169,000 active duty servicemen. Currently, in the face of the Russian threat, the emphasis is on making the army as professional as possible, providing units with the latest equipment, and improving the quality of training. It is worth adding that changes in the latter area have been ongoing since 2006, and it can be assumed that they were largely influenced by joint training of Ukrainian units with NATO troops. The Ukrainian army sent relatively large contingents to Iraq (2003-2005) and Kosovo (2000-2014).
