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Ukrainian General Staff drains brigades, forces troop replenishment from rear — media

According to the media outlet, in the Ukrainian army, redeployment to infantry is a measure of punishment for those guilty

MOSCOW, February 4. /TASS/. The Ukrainian General Staff exploits every brigade fighting at the front to the fullest, forcing them to replace losses in infantry battles by taking personnel from servicemen working in the rear, the Ukrainskaya Pravda news outlet reported.

According to the report, if a commander of a Ukrainian unit complains to his superiors about the lack of personnel, he will receive a recommendation to look for replacements among the soldiers in the rear who are not engaged at the front. In particular, the commander is recommended to "check the personnel and find those who could be sent to the infantry." The news outlet specified that the Ukrainian General Staff is now in charge of all servicemen transfers between different brigades and types of military forces.

"Now they are sucking the blood to the fullest, forcing everyone to join the infantry. And if everyone is part of the brigade, there are no drivers to operate the equipment," one of the Ukrainian commanders told the news outlet. Another officer complained that in response to his reports of personnel shortages, the command told him to fill troops from among the convoy brigade's soldiers.

Another commander told Ukrainskaya Pravda that he had also reported the lack of troops to his command and tried in vain to relieve his unit of responsibility. "I hardly got an answer. I had to do everything myself," the officer complained. He added that at the same time his unit had undergone a dozen of commissions that counted every capable serviceman who could be transferred to the infantry. "They have found 170 servicemen that I could potentially move from the rear to active duty. I tell them: 'What do you make of the fact that 142 of the 170 you found have already been redeployed and several have already died?" he complained.

According to the media outlet, in the Ukrainian army, redeployment to infantry is a measure of punishment for those guilty. In particular, some infantrymen have become such for drinking alcohol and using drugs, losing drones, or bickering with superiors. Ukrainskaya Pravda concluded that commanders are forced to take all those who are physically able to serve at the front to make up for the shortfall in combat-ready infantry.

General mobilization has been repeatedly announced and extended in Ukraine since February 2022. On May 18, 2024, the law on toughening mobilization came into force in the country, making the drafting of hundreds of thousands more Ukrainians possible. The country’s authorities are doing everything in their power to prevent men of draft age from dodging military service. Still, the speed of the Ukrainian armed forces replenishing their ranks has slowed down in recent months, and the army has been faced with an issue of critical manpower shortages. Amid this crisis, specialists from other military branches are widely reassigned to infantry, according to Ukrainian media.