In 2024, Ukraine implemented a grand strategy to address the challenge of shortage of soldiers by establishing new brigades instead of strengthening existing brigades. However, experts assess that the strategy is not effective and has gone bankrupt, according to the site Business Insider January 6.
Senior researcher Michael Kofman of the Russia and Eurasia program at the policy research institute called the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (USA) said that Ukraine’s above strategy is “one of the power management decisions”. most incomprehensible force ever deployed”.
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“Expanding the force by creating new brigades, while more soldiers are desperately needed to compensate for the loss of experienced formations deployed on the front lines, clearly has trade-offs.” “, Mr. Kofman wrote on social networks.
Mr. Kofman commented that because of lack of experience, new units were generally ineffective in both offensive and defensive roles. And according to him, that is what happened in 2023. As a result, the strategy collapsed somewhat when the commander ended up separating battalions from new brigades to supplement old units.
Members of the Khyzhak Brigade of Ukrainian police patrols prepare to launch mortar shells at Russian forces in Donetsk in December 2024.
In May 2024, Ukraine’s leadership announced its intention to create 10 brigades, each unit consisting of thousands of soldiers, with the hope of achieving the ability to rotate and fight on the front lines. Explaining this intention, a Ukrainian military spokesman said in November 2024 that there was no other choice to deal with a more overwhelming opponent, on a 1,300 km long front line.
Several new brigades were trained in the West, including the 155th mechanized brigade. However, the launch of the 155th brigade at the end of 2024 caused a crisis when information emerged showing the rate high desertion. Furthermore, this unit is often withdrawn to supplement other brigades. As a result, the 155th Brigade had to patch up its formation, and some soldiers specializing in controlling unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) jamming devices were transferred to the infantry role.
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, chief of staff of the Azov Brigade, commented: “Perhaps it is foolish to create new brigades and equip them with new technology while the old units lack manpower.”
Mr. Kofman said that the problem of Brigade 155 is the most serious incident in Ukraine’s force management. The splintering of new units resulted in fragmentation of the defensive effort.
“Technological innovations, tactical adoption and better integration are not enough to compensate for the failure to deal with fundamental issues… The Ukrainian army needs to address manpower, training and train and manage forces to maintain the war,” Mr. Kofman commented.
