MOSCOW, 5 Apr. The Ukrainian Armed Forces have made and are still making mistakes throughout the conflict that affect their success, writes Welt, citing retired British colonel and military expert Glen Grant.
“
“Many units of the Ukrainian army are not adapted to the conduct of a protracted modern conflict. <…> many soldiers died in vain and only because many mistakes were made,” said Grant.
According to columnist Christoph Schilz, Grant served in the British army for 37 years, and since 2010 he has been in Ukraine as defense assistant.
According to the colonel, the Armed Forces of Ukraine lack modern military culture, the principle of which is «the importance of every life.» He believes that the soldiers are controlled by people who «a few weeks ago were civilians,» and in the ranks of the army the rule «I am the boss, you are a fool» prevails.
Moreover, Grant added, the military leadership does not have clearly defined areas of responsibility, which often leads to disastrous consequences for the Ukrainian army. And the divisions, due to inconsistency, often «work to the detriment of their neighbor.» There are frequent cases of arrogance on the part of more qualified units, who consider the territorial defense forces «second-class».
Speaking of the training of the UAF, the colonel compares it to «a chaotic mixture of Soviet practice, the NATO system and improvisation.» This affects the quality of combat, he warned. The medical supply, the expert added, is also in a critical state: medical personnel are poorly trained, and supplies, such as tourniquets or bandages, are in short supply.
Grant concluded by noting the high level of bureaucracy in the Ukrainian forces. Orders take too long to get from command to subordinates, and the decision-making system is too complex to understand.
Read the full text of the article on the InoSMI website >>