“The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces stated about “a number of significant shortcomings” for the elimination of which the tasks for the Commander of the Ground Forces have been determined”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
According to him, the group is headed by Deputy Commander-in-Chief Oleg Apostol.
“Currently, the group works in the 156th separate mechanized brigade. The purpose of the work is to check the progress of the formation of the brigade and provide comprehensive assistance in matters of organization and preparation for combat operations,” said Sirskyi.
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The Commander-in-Chief added that by this time the military unit had completed staffing and started basic general military training according to the updated program. The selection of personnel for professional training and the supply of weapons and military equipment in accordance with the plan is also underway.
At the same time, Syrsky announced “a number of significant shortcomings” for the elimination of which the tasks for the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been determined.
Among other things, he mentioned the task of:
- replacement of part of the management team of the brigade and the appointment of a commander with combat and practical experience of serving in command positions
- transfer to the unit of officers and sergeants who previously took part in combat operations to increase the combat capabilities of the 156 OMBr
- improving the quality of practical training taking into account the experience of conducting military operations in the east
- increasing the intensity and quality of training of UAV pilots and EW operators, as well as solving a number of other issues that affect the results of hostilities
“It should be noted that the mistakes that occurred during the formation and training of the 155th brigade named after Anna of Kyiv are taken into account, measures are being taken to prevent them from happening in the future. The General Staff group will continue to work in the 156th separate mechanized brigade,” the commander-in-chief added.
According to him, the military command “promptly responds to the problems of the military units”, paying special attention to replenishing the brigades with trained personnel, which participate in intensive battles with the Russian army.
On January 8, the State Bureau of Investigation detained the commander of one of the companies of the 155th separate mechanized brigade for voluntarily leaving the place of duty and inciting his subordinates.
The situation in the 155th mechanized brigade became public on December 31, when journalist Yuriy Butusov wrote about it. According to him, even before the first battle, more than a thousand mobilized men voluntarily left the unit, the brigade commander was dismissed, and one of the leaders responsible for the formation of the brigade died of a heart attack.
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Meanwhile, on January 6, the France-Presse agency, citing an official representative of the French army, reported that several dozen of more than two thousand Ukrainian soldiers from the 155th “Anna of Kyiv” brigade deserted during training.
According to the results of the meeting with the commanders of the unmanned systems units, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that he “paid special attention to the capacity building of the unmanned systems unit of the 155th mechanized brigade, as well as to problematic issues that need to be solved.” Syrskyi did not specify which problematic issues are being discussed.