In early December, Ukrainian soldier Mykola* discovered he could be among those from his unit redeployed to the frontlines in eastern Ukraine to help resist Russian advances.
“The focus of the deployment lies on those who have joined the air defence forces and air forces in 2022 voluntarily,” said Mykola, who is part of the logistics personnel of an air defence unit. His real name and current location have been withheld for his safety.
“My commander told me the General Staff (of Ukraine’s Armed Forces) needs a certain amount of men on the frontlines but didn’t provide any further details”, he told Euronews. Mykola said his unit had received an order requiring 30% of its troops to be sent to the frontlines in the Russian-occupied Donetsk region, where fighting is intensifying.
Military analysts say that Russian troops in Ukraine’s east are advancing at the fastest pace since the early days of the February 2022 full-scale invasion.
There is a limited pool of people who can be sent to the frontlines, as women, older men and soldiers with health issues are generally exempt from redeployment. Mykola recalled that the commanders in his unit first asked if anyone wanted to go voluntarily.
“Then, they select those who are unmotivated to do their tasks and or skip their work. Some commanders use this opportunity to get rid of people who they don’t like,” he said.
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Mykola said he has received no information on any sort of training he would receive if he is sent to the east. He heard that, in some cases, soldiers only receive a small amount of combat training. If the redeployment is urgent, however, there will most likely be no training at all. This is a worry for Mykola, who only joined the military last year.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Mykola said he felt guilty for not supporting his country and decided to join the military in the summer of 2023. Lacking any prior combat or military experience, Mykola knew the chances of sustaining serious injuries or being killed on the battlefield were high.
Back then, men who signed up voluntarily could, to some degree, choose their unit.
Mykola decided to join the air force, wanting to contribute in protecting his fellow citizens from Russian missile attacks.
Alongside his comrades, he received basic training relevant for air defence. Some soldiers were sent to NATO countries to receive training in the operation of said systems, but since Mykola doesn’t operate them directly, he was not among those trained.
Redeployment of rear units
With the situation at the frontlines in the Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast growing ever more critical, Ukraine is forced to send more men to its infantry units in the region.
The Ukrainian military seems to have shifted to redeploying soldiers from other units, such as rear and air defence units. Rear units provide vital logistical and operational support from behind the frontlines, ensuring frontline forces are equipped with supplies, ammunition, repairs, medical care, and communication systems.
Mykola told Euronews that he’s not been told any further details about when he might be redeployed to Donetsk or which infantry unit he might have to join. He explained that his commander is still negotiating, trying to convince higher-ranking officials to lower the number of men deployed to the front lines from their air defence brigade. In recent negotiations, the commander highlighted the importance of the rear units, Mykola said.
This isn’t the first time the General Staff has made such a request, according to Mykola. Earlier this year, around 10% of men in his unit were redeployed to the frontlines. Mykola said that they were either killed in action or came back severely wounded. Shortly after, another wave of men was taken to the frontlines, he explained.
“They have a need for people, so they take them from any unit,” Mykola said, adding that those soldiers had spent years learning to operate these air defence systems or FPV-drones and were therefore not easily replaceable.
He worries that Ukraine’s army doesn’t value human life any more, which is why, he believes, so many Ukrainian men are deserting the military or fleeing the country.
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Mykola joined the air force with the aim of serving with his unit until the war is over. But soldiers can be sent to infantry brigades regardless of their level of training and experience, or what they signed up for. “They can just take you”, he repeated anxiously.
When asked about the mood among him and his comrades, Mykola said there’s no positivity, and that soldiers don’t feel valued.
“Back in 2022, you had a choice, which unit or brigade you wanted to join, and they focused on your skills,” he explained. “They valued people who could bring along something useful.” This is no longer the case, Mykola added.
Defending all fronts
In the early months of the full-scale invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Western allies to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine, in which these partners would deploy their fighter jets to prevent Russian forces from bombing Ukrainian cities.
Due to the fear of crossing one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threatened “red lines,” NATO has staunchly opposed closing the sky over Ukraine but promised to support the country’s war efforts with military assistance instead. Since then, Zelenskyy has repeatedly pleaded for air defence systems such as Patriots or IRIS-Ts.
Defending the sky isn’t Ukraine’s only challenge, as Russia is advancing on the ground in Donetsk. Russian troops are steadily gaining ground towards strategic strongholds, such as the city of Pokrovsk, which also acts as a logistical hub for Ukrainian forces.
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According to local media, Russian forces are intensifying efforts to strengthen their positions and launch attacks on the southeastern outskirts of Pishchane, a village located just over 9 kilometres from Pokrovsk.
“Currently, units of our troops are taking measures to improve the tactical position,” the Khortytsia Military DistrictreportedonTelegram.
In a statement on 29 November, the Ukrainian army’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrsky said that forces stationed near Pokrovsk and Kurakhove would be supplied with additional reserves, ammunition, weapons and equipment. He did not specify what kind of reserves would be deployed.
Losses on Ukraine’s eastern frontlines have partly been attributed to a shortage of manpower, raising concerns about the strain on its forces amid intensifying battles. Zelenskky lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25 this year, but has resisted lowering the draft age to 18, as proposed by the US recently, citing the need to protect lives.
According to a recent interview with The World, Olena Tregub, executive director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission in Kyiv, said recruitment has slowed to 15,000–20,000 troops monthly, with many experienced soldiers having been killed or wounded.
‘These transfers are very painful’
On 2 November, controversial Ukrainian politician Mariana Bezuhla claimed in a Telegram post that personnel from airfield cover, artillery crews, and even Patriot units were being deployed to infantry units. She also claimed that the downing of Shahed drones had decreased, which she blamed on “air defence forces being transferred to the infantry.”
Bezuhla has faced criticism for her harsh comments about Ukraine’s military leadership and her controversial bill proposing prison sentences for unauthorised representation of Ukraine abroad. She was dismissed from her role on the parliamentary committee on national security and defence and resigned from Zelenskyy’s ruling party.
Bezuhla’s statements have been criticised by Yurii Ihnat, the head of the public relations service of the air force command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On Facebook, he confirmed the redeployment of personnel from the air force and other units to the infantry.
“Yes, I can confirm that they do! Not from good times … and a lot of them, and these transfers are very painful for the air forces, and of course, this has a certain impact on the overall picture. But there are appropriate decisions, we have to implement them, and you understand why,” Ihnat posted on Facebook.
Ihnat also criticised Bezuhla’s claims about decreased drone interceptions. He clarified that all defence forces — air force, ground forces, navy, and border guards — are involved in shooting down drones, highlighting the accuracy of Ukraine’s daily air force reports.
‘Ukraine will survive’
Ukraine’s Western partners have supplied the country with military aid, but many of these deliveries have been accompanied by lengthy debates over the fear of crossing one of the many “red lines” raised as threats by Putin during the conflict.
“In Ukraine, we don’t believe in these red lines”, Mykola said.
In Germany, for example, the debate around the Taurus cruise missile keeps resurfacing, especially now during election campaigning for the upcoming snap elections.
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At a recent government meeting, Chancellor Olaf Scholz reportedly said: “Ukraine will survive and will be alive and strong – and there must be a peace that puts an end to the killing”. According to Bild Zeitung, he again reiterated his refusal to supply long-range weapons that can hit targets deep inside Russian territory.
“It would be wrong to say that we now want the war to be waged in such a way that the weapons we supply go deep into the hinterland. That’s why I’m making it very clear here: I won’t do that,” he said.
Recently, Zelenskyy stated that frontline rotations are hindered by a lack of equipment for reserve brigades, forcing Ukrainian soldiers to retreat due to exhaustion.
Highly qualified and experienced soldiers are being redeployed to reserve units but these brigades are not being equipped quickly enough, which is due to delays in Ukraine receiving military aid from its Western partners, Zelenskyy said. When that changes, and equipment arrives, Russia’s advances in the east could be thwarted, the president said.
Euronews has contacted the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to enquire about air defence forces being sent to the front lines but has not received a response until publication.
* Name changed for security reasons.
