A military officer spoke about the problems in the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the backdrop of the Russian offensive

A military officer spoke about the problems in the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the backdrop of the Russian offensive

Ukrainian defender Yevheniy Ievliv (call sign "Sheikh") stated that over more than 2 years of full-scale war, the soldiers of the Defence Forces have felt significant fatigue. According to him, problems exist not only on the front but also in the management of our army and at the middle level as well.

The serviceman from the 109th separate brigade of the Territorial Defence Forces expressed this opinion in an interview with OBOZ.Talk. "Their (enemy’s. – Ed.) advances are not due to them having offered something new or learned something. This also has a reason that in 2.5 years, our army, whether we like it or not, is also getting worn out," he said.

"You see, war is not an oil extraction operation where a 5% workforce loss is foreseen because there are dangerous tasks to be completed. Whether you want or not, even if you win, you will have dead, you will have wounded. And our army is also taking losses," added the warrior.

He described the situation in the Kurakhove and Pokrovsk directions as extremely difficult. Speaking metaphorically, since July it felt like, "the clouds over us have gathered to the fullest."

"And let me tell you: over the last week, there are some glimpses of sunshine - there are a few at least. I just don’t want to reveal what might still be secret today, but there’s something you can learn from open sources.

You’ve heard there are areas in the Pokrovsk direction where our troops managed to counterattack somewhat. I won’t name the localities, but I know that our military managed to achieve some success. I really want to believe that now is the time when the initiative will gradually shift from the enemy’s hands to ours," Ievliv expressed hope.

He also commented on the abuse of servicemen in the 211th pontoon-bridge brigade of the Support Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In the Ukrainian military, "we have somewhat distanced ourselves from the respect" that was there at the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. In his opinion, after two and a half years, the situation inside the army "has changed towards Sovietness."

The warrior noted: this case is not the first and not even the tenth priority reason that indicates the need for reform in the army.

"I’ll tell you things now, for which I might be punished tomorrow, but I really hope it works out in a slightly different direction," Ievliv noted.

He remarked that at some point in the Defence Forces, "not very clear appointments" began, which negatively impact the morale of the boys and girls.

"Because you are maximally motivated and inspired and will carry out orders when you, firstly, understand your command as a entity and when the command’s actions are clear to you," the warrior believes.

He is not talking about sending some reports to every soldier. But you need to "at least intuitively and mentally understand and believe that the command is acting correctly."

"And when these, let’s say, unclear appointments (again without names) began, when people started to lead combat units and the connections of combat units who have never been in a trench, such cases that you are asking about began," said "Sheikh."

Such brutal abuse does not exist in every brigade, although there may be some violations if inspections are conducted.

Ievliv noted: now the "social lift" for warriors somehow does not work, because after two and a half years of big war, "the battalions and brigades should already be led by officers who have grown up at war from day one."

"Because, believe me, when you pass through this baptism with your comrades, you will not dare to act in such a way. I won’t exclude and say everything should be smooth and perfect in the army, but there is a written charter that everyone should follow, and mutual respect should be among all," he said.

"I know when the same brigade with the same battalion commanders, the same companies, if their brigade commander changed - the climate in the unit as a whole changed, although the level of people below the brigade commander remained the same. Therefore, here it greatly depends precisely on the commanders of large unit associations," added the Territorial Defence Forces serviceman.