After the scandal with the provision of the 14th brigade, the new commander reached out to the exhausted fighters
The problems with the provision of units on the front line became widely publicized after reports of soldiers of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, who were left without sufficient food and water for a long time in the Kharkiv direction. The situation concerned the military, who hold positions in difficult conditions, where the delivery of food, evacuation, replacement of personnel and communication with the command directly affect the ability of the unit to carry out combat missions.
The newly appointed commander of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Colonel Taras Maksimov, spoke via video link on April 24 with the military, whose problems became known after public publicity. The brigade reported that the conversation was frank, and the video showed the transferred packages with food.
At the beginning of the conversation, Maksimov asked whether the soldiers had received the parcels that had been organized after the situation escalated, and also inquired about their health.
“Well, I saw the parcels, I saw the video, I saw the unpacking – just like these bloggers. Well done,” Maksimov said.
The soldiers confirmed that they had received what they needed, including food. They noted that the parcels contained “everything that was really needed, it was delivered,” and added that “there is everything in terms of food.”
After clarifying their needs, the soldiers replied that they needed “a little time to gain weight.” In response, the commander linked further actions to weather conditions and the possibility of organizing a rotation.
“But look at the weather conditions… for us, as they say – if there is such rain and snow, then we will do a rotation – right? – with you”, – said Maksimov.
During the conversation, he promised to work on leveling the situation and replacing personnel, separately emphasizing safety when leaving positions.
“We will level the situation, carry out replacements, at least we will try to… the most important thing, first of all, is life. We will do everything together. You know me. It just won’t happen like that anymore. That is, be careful there, I draw your attention, – means of protection – going out to get parcels, going out for some action – means of protection are a must. Well, and we will overcome everything else together”, – promised the commander.
Maksimov devoted a separate part of the conversation to communication within the unit. He turned to the company commander and urged to report problems without delay.
“I would like to remind the company commander not to be silent, not to hide anything, and immediately – do you have my phone number? – to call me directly if there are any problems,” – Maksimov emphasized.
When asked what else they could do to help, besides replacing him, the military replied: “Thank you, but nothing. You’ll get him out – and everything will be fine.”
After the publication of information about the problems with the supply, the Joint Forces Group announced the start of an inspection of the entire vertical of the 10th Corps’ command. According to the command, additional resources were allocated to support the units.
Before that, messages about the critical situation with food and drinking water at the positions where the soldiers of the 14th Brigade were stationed spread on social networks. The publications noted that some of the fighters were exhausted, and due to the lack of water, they were forced to use rainwater.
On the morning of April 24, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced personnel decisions regarding the command of the 14th Brigade and the 10th Army Corps. According to the General Staff, the reasons were the concealment of the real state of affairs at the front, the loss of positions, and miscalculations in providing personnel.
The leadership of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade was transferred to Colonel Taras Maksimov. The commander of the 10th Army Corps was dismissed and appointed to a lower position. The General Staff emphasized that these decisions were made a few days before the widespread dissemination of photographs of exhausted soldiers. The publication’s interlocutor at the General Staff explained that the dismissal of the corps commander and brigade commander was a consequence of the identified shortcomings in their work, including problems with support and the state of management in the relevant sector of the front.
The 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade is performing combat missions as part of the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Kostyantyn Ostrozky. The unit is located in the Kharkiv direction, where the situation remains difficult, and access to positions may be complicated by combat operations, weather, and logistical risks.
The Ministry of Defense previously confirmed that the command had paid attention to the published facts and had taken the situation under control. The department explained the delays in supplies by the tense situation on the front line, where stable delivery of cargo to forward positions requires safe routes and coordination between units.
