“Senseless and ineffective.” Azov commander Denys Prokopenko criticized micromanagement in the Defense Forces

Prokopenko emphasized that strategic mistakes in planning cannot be compensated at the tactical level, when the enemy has an advantage in almost everything. He noted that the Russians have been leading their divisions and armies in battle since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. “more effectively and confidently than our commanders of OTU, TGR and brigades.”

Prokopenko stated that the use of attached units of brigades in the form of companies and battalions often leads to deterioration of interaction, biased attitude and use of units for the wrong purpose, loss of control, unjustified losses of fighters and ultimately – failure to perform combat tasks.

“On a daily basis, the commanders of the largest tactical unit are faced with the problems of working with attached units, instead of submitting their full-time companies/battalions to other brigades, which in most cases leads to the problems mentioned above,” he wrote.

The commander believes that micromanagement and manual control of companies and battalions is ineffective and pointless for a front width of more than 1,000 km. The Russian occupiers organize management at the level of divisions, corps and armies, which facilitates the planning and use of troops, Prokopenko said.

He also listed the advantages of creating divisions/army corps to wage a full-scale war against an enemy that has a significant advantage in terms of personnel, equipment, weapons and ammunition:

1. Unity of command – the commander of a division/army corps will be able to organize combat and special training in staff units, be personally responsible for the process and quality of training, “soberly assess combat capabilities and accordingly assign tasks to each brigade/regiment”. According to Prokopenko, divisions/army corps should be created on the basis of combat-ready brigades, reducing “stillborn organisms that have lost their fighting ability without ever acquiring it.”

2. Initiative – commanders will have the opportunity to more confidently manage regular units on the frontline without additional forces, “having everything of their own, except aviation.”

3. Simplicity — simplification of the process of managing troops and increasing the stability of defense.

4. Savings of effort – sustainable management of troops will make it possible to increase the operational zones and defensive strips on the contact line.

5. Safety is practice “plugging holes and extinguishing fires” by attached units complicates interaction and almost never brings the desired result, Prokopenko said.

6. Reduction of manual control at the tactical level – according to the commander, the most important point that will enable the generals to deal with issues of strategic planning and more priority tasks, in particular, strategic defense, “which includes a complex of measures that have not yet been started.”

“Having quoted the basic principles of war according to the immortal Clausewitz, with hopes for the best, let us all dream up a plan for victory, where we will begin to carry out real reforms and accumulate or at least not disperse resources for the long-awaited victory or postponement of our death,” concluded Prokopenko.