Syrskyi on mobilisation reform: Ground Forces and TCRs "ready for changes"
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine General Oleksandr Syrskyi has rejected allegations that he "does not want to fight with drones" and expressed support for the mobilisation reform announced by the Ministry of Defence. However, he criticised the new military service contracts.
This is stated in his column for Militarnyi, Censor.NET reports.
On drones, the creation of the USF and Madyar’s appointment
Syrskyi described the allegation that he supposedly "does not want to fight with drones" as the strangest accusation levelled against him. The general said that he had been the architect behind the creation of the world’s first separate branch of the military dedicated to unmanned systems:
"I created the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the military. I personally submitted Madyar’s candidacy to the president to appoint Major Madyar as head of the USF. […] A person who ‘does not want to fight with drones’ does not create the world’s first separate branch of the military dedicated to unmanned systems or appoint its commander in defiance of every convention of military hierarchy," Syrskyi said.
At the same time, the Commander-in-Chief noted that despite their effectiveness, drones cannot completely replace artillery, mortars, air defence and infantry, while attempts to scale up battlefield gambles in a war against a superior enemy are paid for with Ukrainian land and lives.
Personnel policy
Responding to accusations that "exclusively loyal" individuals were being promoted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Syrskyi listed combat officers who had risen to senior leadership positions with his direct support:
"Look at the facts. Madyar. Apostol. Hnatov. Andrii Biletskyi. Redis. Veres. Achilles. Yevhen Karas. The list goes on. These are people who have risen from junior officer ranks to leadership positions. I appoint them, promote them, and support them. Many of these appointments were unpopular within the system. I made them because my only criterion is results," the general stressed.
- He described the transfer procedure as overly complicated and called on the Ministry of Defence to simplify the relevant regulations without undermining command and control.
Failed contract rollout, TCR problems and diversion of military pay funds
At the same time, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine criticised the Ministry of Defence’s work on the new military service contracts and mobilisation reform.
"The new contracts were presented more than a month ago. As of today, only around 2,000 service members in a million-strong army have signed them," the column reads.
At the same time, Syrskyi said he had ended up with "a large number of demotivated soldiers and officers who expected one set of conditions but received another".
Regarding mobilisation, the Commander-in-Chief confirmed that the Ground Forces and Territorial Centres of Recruitment are within his chain of command: "We are ready for change: we attend every relevant meeting in the Verkhovna Rada, refer all violations to the State Bureau of Investigation and insist on police involvement. But the reform itself is the legislative and administrative work of the ministry."
Finally, the Commander-in-Chief revealed the cause of the problems with the Defence Forces’ military pay:
"The minister himself publicly said that some of the funds allocated for service members’ salaries had been redirected to drone procurement. This created a funding shortfall for payments in the second half of the year. Let me be clear: a soldier’s salary is not a reserve fund to be reallocated, but an obligation of the state to people who risk their lives every day. Together with the government, we are now seeking a solution to ensure that every service member receives what they are owed on time and in full. There is simply no other option," Syrskyi concluded.
At the end of his column, the Commander-in-Chief added that he was "not fighting the ministry but fighting Russia" and stressed: "The General Staff has never opposed the ministry: we have cooperated and will continue to cooperate with any minister appointed by the state."
