The contingent of Ukrainian troops participating in the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo has returned home to help in the fighting against invading Russian troops.
Jacques Ndjoli, who serves on Congo's parliamentary defense committee, told the BBC on September 18 that the Ukrainian withdrawal of some 250 troops represented a relatively serious loss to the mission.
When the withdrawal of Ukraine's aviation unit was announced in March, some diplomats warned it could leave the UN mission seriously short of helicopters.
Ukraine had eight helicopters in the mission, about one-third of the total UN fleet there.
The Congo is battling various rebel groups based in the thick forests in the eastern regions of the African nation.
The Ukrainian military in 2019 said crews of the Mi-24 and Mi-8 helicopters would conduct air reconnaissance and provide support for UN ground units.
Ukraine has pulled troops out of other UN peacekeeping missions since Russia’s full-scale invasion was launched in February.