Statement by commander of 47th SMB, Shyrshyn, requires official response from the High Command and the command. Further actions in Kursk should only be planned after after-action review - Butusov
The statement by the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 47th Mechanised Brigade, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, about his desire to resign in protest against the incompetent decisions of the Ukrainian command in the Kursk region is an important event in the army and society.
Censor.NET editor-in-chief Yurii Butusov wrote about this on Facebook.
He emphasises that Commander Shyrshyn's words cannot be ignored - they are unprecedented in their harshness and a challenge that requires an official response from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the Chief of the General Staff, the Commander of the Army, and the Commander of the Kursk Group of Forces.
Butusov reminds us that the 47th Brigade is performing tasks in the Kursk region, and the same questions asked by Commander Shyrshyn on Facebook are being asked by some other Ukrainian commanders in this area.
He goes on to publish a direct quote from Shyrshyn:
"I’ve never received more idiotic tasks than the ones on the current front. I’ll share the details later, but losing people for nothing and trembling before incompetent generals leads nowhere but to failure. All they’re capable of is reprimands, investigations, and disciplinary action. They can all go to hell. These ‘political’ games and assessments of the situation have nothing to do with reality or what we’re actually capable of. They’ve lost the plot.
I’ve submitted the appropriate report, and I hope I’ll be relieved of my duties soon. Once that happens, I’ll be ready to share some things with my journalist friends,
Thank you, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine! I hope your children will also be in the infantry and perform your tasks."
Butusov also analyses in detail what the commander's statement says.
"What we’re seeing right now is clearly visible in drone footage released by the enemy near the village of Tetkino. Attempts to launch frontal assaults with vehicle columns under constant observation and fire from Russian drones are leading to significant losses in manpower and equipment. The objectives being assigned do not always correspond to the actual capabilities of the troops, the terrain, or even basic tactical strategy. The military command’s underestimation of the drone threat has led to failures in engineering support, protection of equipment and personnel, and gross mistakes in planning and force deployment. The political objective set by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff — to conduct combat operations on enemy territory — has been poorly organized and planned at the operational and tactical levels. No one is drawing lessons or trying to adapt. On the contrary, the same mistakes are being repeated over and over, with no regard for the losses," he emphasises.
Butusov also tells us in detail who this combatant was and who opposed him.
Oleksandr Shyrshyn is an intelligent and educated man, and his accidental frontline photo of him reading a book by philosopher Timothy Snyder in a trench in '22 went viral. Shyrshyn has been defending Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion, he joined the 80th Air Assault Brigade and became a platoon leader. Later, he became a company commander of the 47th Mechanised Brigade. He proved to be a true leader during the offensive in the Zaporizhzhia sector in 2023. His company was one of the first to break through the enemy's powerful and prepared defences for several months, because the company commander was always with his men and often took part in assaults and fought with everyone on the front line. Shyrshyn's company can be seen in Oleg Sentsov's film Real.
Shyrshyn was appointed deputy commander and then commander of the 1st Mechanised Battalion of the 47th Brigade for his military merits, and proved himself to be a top performer in the battles near Avdiivka and in the Kursk region.
"Shyrshyn always personally took care of the evacuation of the wounded and dead, did everything to reduce losses, for which he was and is highly respected by his soldiers. For him, saving people's lives and performing risky combat missions are not just words; they are actions that he has performed more than once. So if he put the question bluntly, he has the moral right to do so. Shyrshyn is right in essence - we cannot continue to fight like this.
To solve the problem, he showed a willingness to renounce his high status for the sake of honour. This is the act of a warrior and a citizen," Butusov adds.
In his opinion, Shyrshyn's words deserve an official assessment.
"Further actions in the Kursk region should be planned only after the After Action Review. The officer's integrity and intelligence deserve promotion, not dismissal," he concludes.
Earlier, Censor.NET reported that the commander of the 47th Brigade "Magura" Shyrshyn submitted a letter of resignation due to the "stupid tasks" of the command.
