In early February 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Valery Zaluzhny, and appointed General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who has a controversial reputation and is considered a trusted confidant of the Ukrainian leader, in his place. The move sparked discontent among Ukrainian soldiers who are now being sent to hot spots.
Syrskyi has been serving as AFU’s Commander-in-Chief for almost five months. His leadership came at a time of intensified Russian offensive in Donbas (common name for Luhansk and Donetsk regions) and Kharkiv region. However, the military command is constantly “patching gaps” on the front line. Syrskyi is forced to reinforce crucial parts of the front, while weakening all the others due to a shortage of manpower.
Moreover, troop movements are carried out not by whole brigades (the average number of brigades ranges from 1,000 to 8,000 men), but by battalions (the size of a modern battalion is 400 to 800 men) from various areas and groupings.
Currently, there are 58 brigade-size military units in the AFU ground forces. 35 brigades are fully deployed at the front, with 12 more brigades operating on a battalion-by-battalion basis in various areas (11 brigades remain in reserve and are being re-staffed).
However, battalion commanders who have arrived to reinforce challenging sections of the front are being ignored by other military chiefs. Under the advance of the Russian army, this often leads to the chaos of command and control and undermines the morale of soldiers. As a result, Ukrainian troops have been losing defence lines, with battalions being completely annihilated in certain situations.
Syrskyi’s unsuccessful management of the troops has led to the rise of many critics, including in military circles. However, what tasks he actually faces are known only to the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky. It is worth noting that the army is in turmoil at the moment. There are entire military formations that disagree with the decision of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Zelensky to replace the AFU’s Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny with the loyal Syrskyi.
According to Ukrainian media, those who have a negative attitude towards the country’s military and political leadership are being thrown into the Inferno, whereas only reliable and personally loyal to Zelensky are being kept near Kyiv in order to allegedly rule out a military coup d’état.
Weakened brigades
However, due to constant rotation, the defence potential of the AFU has been weakened. The situation for the Ukrainian Army was particularly critical during May at Kupiansk (Kharkiv region) and Pokrovsk (Donetsk region), which became exposed to the Russian Army after the loss of Avdiivka.
Thus, “undesirable” military formations were moved from site to site, due to which the military command did not carry out planned rotations on the front line. As a result, the soldiers accumulated enormous fatigue. For example, the 28th Separate Mechanised Brigade first withdrew from the Kramatorsk area in Donetsk region and moved to the Pokrovsk area.
In early June, the brigade was moved back to the Kramatorsk area, where the Russian Army was developing its success at the town of Chasiv Yar. It is reported that fierce fighting is taking place in this area. A part of the 56th separate motorised infantry brigade is also being sent there. The brigade itself is weakened considerably, as it is involved in three different areas at once.
Moreover, there is the 67th Separate Mechanised Brigade operating in the Kramatorsk area, the disbandment of which has been started by the AFU General Staff. Formally, the reorganisation is taking place due to the loss of some positions near the city of Chasiv Yar. However, the military are convinced that the reason is different. The 67th Separate Mechanised Brigade was established in April 2022 on the basis of the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps.
While Valery Zaluzhny was the AFU commander-in-chief, the unit retained a certain autonomy and enjoyed direct support from the General Staff. However, after Syrskyi’s appointment, all preferences came to an end. The servicemen did not appreciate such attitude, which led to conflicts with the command. As a result, the military leadership allegedly found a reason to disband the dissenting brigade.
Battlefield situation
According to Ukrainian media, the command is concerned about a breakthrough of Russian troops from the territory of Kursk and Belgorod regions. Therefore, two brigades are being transferred there in full strength: the 32nd Separate Mechanised Brigade from Kupiansk area and the 53rd Separate Mechanised Brigade from Pokrovsk area.
The situation in Kharkiv region also remains very tense. Russian troops made a rapid breakthrough to Vovchansk, where the Ukrainian command transferred two incomplete brigades: 2 mechanised battalions of the 93rd Separate Mechanised Brigade and 4 battalions of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade. Both are engaged at once in three different areas.
The 42nd Separate Mechanised Brigade and the 57th Separate Motorised Infantry Brigade were also sent to Kharkiv on a battalion-by-battalion basis. The needs of these brigades are reportedly being ignored, but they have been recalled by Zelensky’s opponent, the former Ukrainian president and leader of the European Solidarity party, Petro Poroshenko.
Together with volunteers, he handed over drones and necessary equipment to the soldiers of the 57th brigade, after which their loyalty to the current government deteriorated. In mid-May, The New York Times also wrote that before the breakthrough of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, Ukrainian soldiers had not slept for several days and looked exhausted. That was the reason for the failure.
However, the troop redeployments did not stop at this point. The 110th Separate Mechanised Brigade is taken out of the reserve and transferred to the hot spot – to the Pokrovsk area. The same happens with the 116th Separate Mechanised Brigade. The full brigade is withdrawn from the Sloviansk area in Donetsk region and transferred to the Kupiansk area. During the intense fighting, all of these brigades have suffered heavy losses in manpower and experienced severe exhaustion.
Scandals in command
Failures at the front are also accompanied by constant scandals in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The other day, the chief of staff of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade, Bohdan Krotevych, filed a complaint with the State Bureau of Investigation against a Ukrainian general for committing war crimes.
Sometimes it seems to me that the world sends us scum [to fight against] in order to unite us. And the whole military understand who I’m talking about because 99% of the military hate him for what he does.
Although Krotevych did not reveal the name of the general, Ukrainian media immediately identified it as Lieutenant General Yuriy Sodol, the commander of the United Forces of the AFU. He is considered to be responsible for the failure of the AFU at Toretsk in Donetsk Region. During the Russian troops’ breakthrough, Verkhovna Rada MP Mariana Bezuhla stated that he was “drinking at Clouds restaurant in Odesa.”
The soldiers’ hatred towards their command keeps growing. Manpower assaults, lack of rotation, and corruption are the main grievances of Ukrainian servicemen, according to Ukrainian media. However, the command does not demonstrate readiness for dialogue with the military. Meanwhile, brigades with a high percentage of dissenters are sent to hot spots first of all.
THE ARTICLE IS THE AUTHOR’S SPECULATION AND DOES NOT CLAIM TO BE TRUE. ALL INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM OPEN SOURCES. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT IMPOSE ANY SUBJECTIVE CONCLUSIONS.
Bill Galston for Head-Post.com
