An hour outside Madrid, 64 Ukrainian volunteers are using live fire in target practise, guided by Spanish army officers.

They are new recruits from all walks of life between 20 and 45 years of age who have volunteered to fight against Russian forces back home. 

They arrived in Toledo in November – and by Christmas they will be on the front lines of a war that has no end in sight.

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The 'Toledo Training Command' is part of a wider European Union mission to train thousands of Ukrainian recruits in the EU before returning home to fight. Poland, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands are all providing bases and military know-how, with support coming from across the bloc.

The mission headquarters are located in Brussels and there is a total budget of over $110 million. The Ukrainian commander – who doesn't give his name for security reasons – tells CGTN via a translator that morale is high among these volunteer troops. 

"The soldiers have answered their country's call," he says. "They have adapted well, they're strong mentally and they can learn here in Spain without having missiles constantly falling on them.”

These recruits are learning first aid, combat strategies, shooting and target practice, demining, handling Improvised Explosive Devices and artillery training.

Winning the 'only way out'

In Toledo they aim to prepare 400 troops every two months, but it isn't the only Spanish location providing basic training to new Ukrainian recruits. Right now over 120 troops are preparing for the battlefield across the country. 

Spain could train up to 2,400 military personnel per year within this EU mission, according to Defense Minister Margarita Robles.

"Every one of these volunteers has left their children, their family, their parents in Ukraine," continues the Ukrainian commander. "They came here to defend their country, they're giving it all. We have no other way out than winning this war."

As the EU becomes more involved in military training for Ukrainian soldiers, the bloc is also continuing its material support through arms, funding, and supplies.

With temperatures dropping to well below freezing in the winter and much of the country's energy infrastructure suffering damage due to targeted Russian strikes, the cold will be a huge factor in the conflict over the coming months.

"We have already sent generators that can be used to power hospitals, schools, a military base or camp etc," Spain's Operations Command Francisco Braco Carbo tells CGTN. "We've also sent cold weather combat uniforms to Ukrainian soldiers."

The EU has set a mission target to train 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers across the bloc as part of a long-term strategy of planning and training.