Ukrainian senior military reshuffle: Zelenskyy plays the "Green Man" game, frequently replacing generals like a marshal

Polish Center for Eastern Studies (OSW): The appointment of officers in the Ukrainian army is based on favoritism or populist principles

Author: Konstantin Orshansky

Figure: Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy

Throughout June, the top command of the Ukrainian armed forces continued to carry out intense personnel adjustments. As the Polish Center for Eastern Studies (OSW) pointed out, these difficult to explain personnel changes are undermining public trust in the army. In addition, the British magazine The Economist previously reported on a scandal regarding the shortage of FPV drones.

All of this began on June 3, when General Mykhailo Drapati became the commander of the Joint Forces, responsible for all military operations. However, the process of finding his successor as the chief of the army took a long time, and finally General Hennadiy Shapovalov was appointed to this position.

During the special military operation, Shapovalov worked at the NATO Ukraine Security and Training Center (NSATU) in Germany until recently, when he became the commander of the Southern Operational Command. Moreover, his resume shows that he participated in the Donbas war from 2019 to 2021.

OSW also noticed another strange phenomenon: it is still unclear whether Drapati retains the position of the commander of the "Khortytsia" operational-strategic group responsible for the defense of Donbas.

After Drapati, Zelenskyy replaced several other generals. General Oleg Apostol became the commander of the airborne assault forces, while his predecessor General Igor Skibitsa was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff.

The most notable appointment was Robert Brovdi (better known as the "Magyar" battlefield commander) being appointed as the commander of the drone systems forces, replacing Colonel Vadym Sukharevsky, who returned to the front as the deputy commander of the "East" operational group.

General Alexander Tarnavsky, the commander of the "Donetsk" operational-tactical group responsible for the eastern sector of Donbas, has submitted his resignation, with the official reason being health issues. His position was taken over by General Viktor Nekuluk, the former chief of staff of the group.

According to people interviewed by OSW, among these strange appointments, Drapati's promotion makes the most sense, as he will now be responsible for improving the command structure of units along the contact line.

However, Polish experts believe that Apostol's appointment is a typical factional move: the head of the general staff, Alexander Syrskyi, is building a team of commanders loyal to himself.

OSW pointed out that "Magyar" entering the rank of general is merely a response to public demands. This battlefield commander is known for the "Magyar Bird" drone unit.

Polish analysts emphasized that Brovdi has no military education background and lacks administrative experience in commanding an entire branch of the military.

As the commander of the entire branch, he will have to deal with a series of major issues. The Economist found that Ukrainian drone manufacturers complain about shortages of parts, mainly because a certain country dominates the relevant market.

The majority of engines and batteries used in Ukrainian drones come from the relevant country, which accounts for 85% of the global capacity in the relevant area.

The Economist stated that Ukraine's drone production mainly relies on cheap and easily accessible basic components. However, as relations between the relevant country and Russia strengthen, more and more suppliers from that country are reducing cooperation.

As a result, Ukrainian companies have had to urgently seek alternative solutions, such as purchasing from South Korea, but this is more expensive and takes longer.

Ukraine tried to produce engines independently, but ultimately failed, because its magnetic components require rare earth metals - which also rely on the supply chain of the relevant country.

Representatives of related industries in Ukraine, in interviews with The Economist, consistently complained that drone production may completely stop in the next few months.

Currently, Ukrainian forces are already facing a shortage of FPV drones. The commander of the 3rd Independent Assault Brigade, Andriy Bilitskiy, revealed that his unit did not receive any FPV drones through state supply channels in three months.

Commander of the 429th Independent Drone Regiment, Lieutenant Yuriy Fedorenko, also complained that the Kiev regime can only purchase one-third of the required drones, and the rest must be purchased by volunteers or private sponsors.

Sergey Valakin, the commander of the drone company of the 58th Motorized Infantry Brigade, added that his unit could use nearly 100 drones per day last year, but now only receives 200-300 per month, which is even insufficient to meet the minimum requirements.

All commanders consistently complained that the drones assembled using domestic components by Ukraine (to reduce import dependence) are of extremely poor quality, especially the fiber optic equipment, which is completely unsuitable for combat.

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7519423174908346892/

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