Creation of Assault Troops will boost effectiveness of counteroffensive operations – General Staff of AFU
The decision to establish Assault Troops will strengthen the army’s capabilities.
This was stated by General Staff spokesperson Major Andrii Kovalov, Censor.NET reports, citing Ukrinform.
"In the fourth year of the full-scale war with the Russian invaders, the nature of combat has changed significantly. In view of this, a decision has been made to create Assault Troops as a separate branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a logical stage in the development of the Armed Forces under modern warfare conditions, a response to the changing character of battle. This step will clearly enhance our forces’ capabilities, increase the resilience and activity of the defense, and improve the effectiveness of counteroffensive actions," he explained.
Kovalov noted that there are significant differences between the Air Assault Forces and the newly created Assault Troops.
According to him, the Assault Troops are rapid-reaction forces deployed to different parts of the frontline wherever a sudden threat or problem arises, for example, a breach of defenses or the loss of positions or a settlement.
Their main task is to arrive quickly, deploy, engage in battle, destroy the enemy and restore lost positions. Their mission includes conducting offensive, assault and raid operations.
"Assault Troops can be used to break through enemy defenses and ensure the entry of main forces into battle," the General Staff spokesperson added.
Assault Troops, he continued, are usually deployed as assault companies or battalions detached from their parent units to operate in the sectors of other brigades that have lost positions. In offensive operations, they can be employed as part of an assault battalion or assault regiment to break through defenses or capture a key area of terrain or a settlement.
By contrast, AFU’s Air Assault Forces are employed as brigades or larger groupings. They are designed to carry out both offensive and defensive operations. In offensive campaigns, they are generally committed on the most critical sections of the front to break through enemy defenses and advance deep over an extended period. In defense, they are used on the axes where the enemy’s main forces are operating, or to defend important areas of terrain or settlements.
The Air Assault Forces are also deployed as part of airborne operations, carrying out deep raids and air assault missions.
"The main distinction of the Assault Troops from others is rapid response and the ability to act first, regardless of the situation. Separate assault regiments and battalions of the Armed Forces have repeatedly proven their effectiveness during active operations in the Kursk, Sumy, Donetsk, and Kharkiv regions and in many other key sectors of the front. The Assault Troops Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has now been established, headed by Hero of Ukraine Colonel Valentyn Manko," Kovalov said, adding that the Assault Troops will soon become an indispensable separate component of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier announced that Assault Troops would soon be established in Ukraine.
