These are the six biggest mistakes of the Ukrainian army

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It is no secret that the Russian armed forces are in a state of disrepair. There doesn’t seem to be one right tactic and there are no great military successes. Even the great winter offensive failed. Putin’s army had tried to take over the entire Donbass region. Russian front-line troops in the region have made minimal gains amid heavy casualties, the UK’s defense ministry said. The Ukrainian army, on the other hand, is rarely criticized. This is probably also because the national defenders have impressed with their achievements since the beginning of the war.

Yet Ukraine also makes mistakes, says Glen Grant, a military strategist who worked as an adviser to the Ukrainian defense ministry in 2014. He knows the Ukrainian army inside out – including the problems. In an article for the online portal “Euromaiden Press”, he explains what the Ukrainians could do better. In concrete terms, it is about six points that the Briton leads.

According to Grant, the Ukrainian armed forces still adhere to Soviet-era rules. Therefore, many commanders lack “character, training and skills”.

In addition, since February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian army is largely made up of people who “just a few weeks ago” had conventional jobs not related to the military. And it is precisely these people who do not like the “I’m the boss, you’re a fool” attitude of some commanders.

Precisely because there are many people fighting in the Ukrainian army who were only “normal citizens” a short time ago, there should be no solidarity. There is an “organizational arrogance where some parts of the military are seen as better or more important than others,” Grant said.

To be effective, communication is extremely important. But right now it would happen that several units would fight in an area without knowing about each other. “Without clear geographic boundaries, no commander can be sure where his orders are going,” Grant said. It is precisely on these borders that the Ukrainians are said to be missing. And that can have fatal consequences, the ex-colonel reports. “I spoke to a member of a Ukrainian battalion at Christmas, who told me that his unit fired at Ukrainian special forces twice and almost at another unit as well.”

The infantry is the backbone of an army. Especially among these troops, but also in general, the training of Ukrainian soldiers is said to be insufficient. According to the ex-colonel, the training sessions are “a mess with a mix of Soviet era, the NATO system and improvisation”.

Because there is still a bureaucratic system with many rules within the Ukrainian army, important decisions in the past would often have been taken only with a lot of delay.

Grant reports a case from February. Ukraine bought much-needed drones from abroad. However, these could not be deployed in combat until four weeks later because a Ministry of Defense signature was missing.

There are many wounded in the war. And especially when it comes to supply, things are not going well for Ukraine. There is a lack of training, but also of material. “The lack of qualified soldiers who can provide first aid in the field is criminal,” said the Briton. (obf)

Source: Blick

Amelia

I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.