“We are preparing for the arrival of the majority of new soldiers with poor training”: the commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

As Ukraine prepares to mobilize tens of thousands of men to address a critical shortage of soldiers amid increased Russian attacks, field commanders say they are preparing for the arrival of most of the new troops with poor training. About this informs The Washington Post.

The publication notes that the Ukrainian command has long been complaining about the weak training of new recruits in training centers. But amid Russia’s offensive, the constant complaints are a reminder that the recently passed mobilization law, which aims to expand the list of servicemen eligible for the draft, is only one step in solving the army’s personnel problems.

There are still several months before the influx of conscripts under the new law. Meanwhile, commanders are redeploying fighters from rear positions to combat units on the front lines. Last month, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi also signed a law allowing some prisoners to join the military in exchange for parole — copying a Russian tactic that has provided thousands of new fighters but also released violent criminals back into society.

Wherever the new soldiers come from, Ukrainian field commanders said that because training is so lacking, they often have to spend weeks teaching them basic skills, such as shooting.

“We had guys who didn’t even know how to disassemble and reassemble their weapons. I spent the first week with the soldiers transferred from the rear posts, just making sure everyone fired at least one box of bullets — about 1,500 rounds — each day before moving on. to more difficult tasks. In a few weeks, these soldiers could fight near the battle-ravaged city of Chasiv Yar, where Russian troops were advancing.” – the former deputy commander of the battalion of the 93rd mechanized brigade told The Washington Post.

“With Ukrainian forces critically undermanned and losing ground, the failure to provide adequate basic training to soldiers underscores the dire situation Kyiv finds itself in more than two years after Moscow’s invasion. Russia’s successes this year are largely due to the fact that the Ukrainian army does not have enough troops to defense against relentless attacks, soldiers say, while the government has slowly ramped up its mobilization efforts.

To get more troops to the battlefield immediately, Zelenskyi’s recently appointed military chief, Col. Oleksandr Syrskyi, redeployed men who had previously served in positions such as guarding bridges and other infrastructure away from the war zone to the brigades involved in the heaviest fighting.

The move was designed in part to reduce the number of people who need to be drafted, an issue that is politically dangerous for Zelenskyi. Syrskyi’s predecessor, General Valery Zaluzhnyi, proposed conscripting about 500,000 men, a figure that Zelenskyi publicly rejected, saying he had not been provided with evidence that it was necessary and that it would be difficult for Ukraine to financially pay so many new soldiers.

For frontline commanders, any new troops are welcome, given that some units have gone months without reinforcements. But many of these redeployed arrivals appear ill-prepared, commanders say, even though many have served in the military since the Russian invasion began more than two years ago, albeit far from the battlefield.”, – writes The Washington Post.

About a month ago, a Ukrainian soldier with the call sign “Val” stood guard on a bridge in southern Odesa Oblast, the same job he had been doing every day since he joined the service at the beginning of the invasion. On April 30, “Valu” was informed that he was being transferred to combat duty. Within 24 hours, he was enrolled in the 93rd brigade with an order to redeploy to the east of the Donetsk region. He didn’t even have time to pack things – some had to be sent later.

“It’s scary. Nobody was really prepared.”, – said the soldier.

For the reconnaissance unit of the 42nd Mechanized Brigade, which was recently redeployed to northeastern Kharkiv Oblast to defend against a new Russian offensive, many of the scouts had just been transferred from rear-line roles and given only two weeks of training before being sent into combat to carry out tasks that sometimes require penetration into the rear of the enemy.

“What is taught in Ukrainian educational centers is complete nonsense. We are told: “Everything will be learned on the spot”. – said a 32-year-old soldier with the call sign “Chirva”.

An officer who has spent more than a year training new soldiers at one of the Ukrainian facilities said training centers are short on Soviet-caliber ammunition because it is being saved for troops on the battlefield. This means that recruits get little experience firing live rounds. The officer said that the training center received only 20 bullets per person.

“There are no grenades for throwing in the training centers, and there are no grenade launchers in the training center. This is a problem. We do not have a proper training system. Ukraine needs its instructors to be trained by NATO instructors to consolidate the two-month basic training standard into one month.” – said the officer on the condition of anonymity, as he has no right to do so publicly.

In addition, The Washington Post notes that the current priority for the General Staff of Ukraine is to provide more training for new recruits abroad — at facilities that cannot be targeted by Russian bombing, unlike Ukrainian ones. Britain has currently provided Ukrainians with the most elementary education. As a potential boost, France is considering sending instructors to Ukraine to help train conscripts, Syrskyi said in a social media post.

The prospect of being on a dangerous front line without proper training is the main reason why many Ukrainian men fear the draft. As part of the recruitment effort, the National Guard’s Charter Brigade posted billboards across the country promising “60 days of training.” But even though individual brigades invest in advertising to attract recruits — a kind of internal competition in the military — those who enlist may not end up in their chosen brigade.

A senior battalion sergeant who fought in eastern Donetsk Oblast described a process in which certain brigades, particularly amphibious assault brigades, often get the first pick of new soldiers brought to training centers. The sergeant, who is usually sent to training centers to recruit troops for his battalion, spoke on condition of anonymity to be candid and because he was not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly. Some assault teams may allocate personnel to live virtually full-time near training centers, the sergeant said, to quickly snap up the youngest, fittest, most motivated people. An officer who was an instructor at the training center confirmed that some crews were indeed planning first attempts.

“If they send us to recruit, then all the good ones have already been taken by other brigades, and you have to choose from the crooked, the lame, the sick. And that’s why you choose from them, the hell take away”, – said the sergeant.

The sergeant noted that he aims to communicate with soldiers to understand who is more ready to fight, rather than those who were drafted and can refuse orders on the battlefield. This issue is expected to become particularly important, since most Ukrainians who wish to serve have already volunteered to do so. Those who have not yet volunteered are generally resistant to struggle.

Some recruits, the sergeant said, are considered physically fit despite being over 50 years old with knee and back problems, meaning they will struggle to walk the miles with a pack of gear and weapons, as is often required. Some crews are still ordered to pick up these people.

“There are guys who you just look in the eyes and understand that he hesitates. He needs a push. He needs confidence in his weapon, confidence that we will not leave him and he will fight.

And there are those who immediately say: “I will not fight.” Of course, you try not to take them. But again, in our army, it is arranged in such a way that the personnel department tells you: “No way, you should take him, he is healthy”, – said the sergeant.