““These people knew how air defense works, some of them were trained in the West and had real skills, and now they are being sent to the front””, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
“It is reaching a critical level where we cannot be sure that air defenses can function properly,” one of the sources said, noting that he was prompted to speak out by fears that the situation that has developed is a risk to Ukraine’s security.
The publication’s source suggests that commanders can use orders to send soldiers they don’t like to the front. There is also a fear that, having secret knowledge about the positions and tactics of the Ukrainian air defense, these soldiers could give away important information if they fall into Russian captivity.
Those spoken to by The Guardian say the growing demands for transfers are making it difficult to properly manage air defense units.
“It’s been going on for a year, but it’s getting worse and worse,” said another source, an air defense officer. – “I already have less than half left [від повного складу]. The commission has been coming for the last few days, and they need dozens more people. I stayed with the 50 and over and the wounded. It is impossible to manage such things”
The General Staff has not yet responded to these claims about the transfer order.
Read also: “Transferred to the infantry”: how military specialists fall into the trenches and why this is a problem for the Armed Forces
Last month, People’s Deputy Maryana Bezugla, who has a controversial political reputation, stated in her Telegram post that air defense forces are being transferred to infantry units, which will lead to a deterioration in the success rate of shooting down Russian UAVs.
Yuriy Ignat, a representative of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, confirmed that the transfers were taking place, saying that they were “very painful”, but he denied that it affected the number of air targets.
Against the backdrop of delays in mobilization at the end of 2023-early 2024, the need to close the personnel shortage in the infantry resulted in the transfer of people from all “corners” of the army to this type of troops.
As reported by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, as of December 17, the Defense Forces are conducting active combat operations on a section of the front with a total length of more than 1,170 kilometers, the most difficult situation now is in the Pokrovsky and Kurakhiv directions.