BRUSSELS, November 15. /TASS/. The European Council kicked off its mission to train Ukrainian troops on Tuesday, assigning Vice Admiral Herve Blejean as the commander, the council said in a statement.

"The Council is launching today the European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine," the statement said. "The mission commander will be the Director of the Military Planning and Conduct Capability, Vice Admiral Herve Blejean."

The statement said the Council also allotted 16 million euros "to support the capacity building of the Ukrainian Armed Forces" by the training mission.

"The assistance measure will have a duration of 24 months, and adds to the successive EU contributions for Ukraine under the EPF, which now amount to more than Ђ3.1 billion," the statement said, referring to the European Peace Facility.

The mission was formally established on October 17. It aims to provide training for 15,000 troops within 24 months and will cost 106.7 million euros.

According to the EU foreign service, the mission will provide individual, collective and specialized training for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and territorial defense. It also aims to coordinate efforts by certain EU member states that will train Ukrainian troops on a bilateral basis to conduct combat operations against Russia.