Ukraine’s army chief shakes up troop rotations after outcry

KYIV — Ukraine’s top general ordered on Thursday a mandatory two-month time limit for front-line troops serving in forward positions, a week after photos of emaciated soldiers on combat duty sparked a nationwide outcry.

Oleksandr Syrskyi’s decree aims to address a key challenge for Kyiv’s outmanned military in the fifth year of the war with Russia, and comes amid frequent and often harrowing reports of Ukrainian soldiers serving for months at a time under fire.

In a statement, Syrskyi said the dominance of drones along the sprawling, 1,200-km (745-mile) front line has complicated battlefield logistics and “significantly transformed” the concept of combat operations.

“Commanders must ensure that conditions are in place for service personnel to remain at their posts for up to two months, followed by a mandatory rotation, which must take place within one month,” he said.

“Timely rotation is not only a matter of organizing service, but a matter of preserving the lives of our soldiers and the stability of defense.”

Syrskyi’s order comes after relatives of troops from the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade posted images of emaciated loved ones, alleging they had been left on the line for months without a steady supply of food or water.

In some cases, the troops had resorted to drinking rain water, they said.

Ukraine’s General Staff said last Friday it had fired the brigade and corps commanders over the case.

In his statement, Syrskyi said his decree included mandatory medical evaluations and the timely provision of food and ammunition for front-line troops.

The testimony from the 14th Brigade is the latest in a string of reports detailing months-long deployments of Ukrainian troops to forward positions.

A so-called “kill zone” spanning dozens of kilometers on both sides of the front has made troop rotations, resupply and evacuations exceedingly dangerous.

Speaking to Ukrainian media this week, military ombudsman Olha Reshetylova said severe logistical failures like that faced by the 14th Brigade were rare, but that long-term deployments to forward positions remain “a big problem.”

‘Chaotic’ management

Prominent volunteer and military activist Maria Berlinska praised Syrskyi’s order.

“This is a very good decision,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app. “Reasonable and humane. I fully support it.”

However, it remains unclear how prepared Ukraine’s stretched forces are to implement the decree.

Ukraine’s military has suffered from a manpower shortage for most of the war, as enthusiasm for service has dwindled amid reports of poor training and support as well as heavy-handed draft officers.

Meanwhile, its forces are struggling to stop grinding battlefield advances by Russia, which is lurching forward with an offensive campaign to capture the rest of Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Taras Chmut, head of leading Ukrainian charity Come Back Alive, said the personnel shortage was largely a result of the “chaotic and ill-considered” management of the vast array of units in Ukraine’s military.

“The number of people in the army is relatively constant,” said Chmut in written comments, adding that similar decrees had been issued in the past. “The question is the effectiveness of using these people.”

He also said drones should minimize the role of the infantry and that senior commanders should not be afraid to order troops back when there is a risk of being surrounded.

基辅——乌克兰最高将领周四下令，对在前线阵地服役的一线部队实行两个月的强制服役期限。此前一周，一些骨瘦如柴的士兵在战斗岗位上的照片引发了全国范围的强烈抗议。

奥列克桑德·瑟尔斯基的法令旨在解决基辅军队在与俄罗斯的战争第五年面临的兵力不足的关键挑战，而与此同时，不断有令人痛心的报道称，乌克兰士兵在炮火下连续服役数月之久。

瑟尔斯基在一份声明中表示，无人机在绵延 1200 公里（745 英里）的前线占据主导地位，使战场后勤变得复杂，并“显著地改变”了作战行动的概念。

他说：“指挥官必须确保为服役人员提供在岗位上驻守长达两个月的条件，然后进行强制轮换，轮换必须在一个月内完成。”

“及时轮换不仅关乎服役安排，更关乎保障士兵生命安全和国防稳定。”

在锡尔斯基下达命令之前，第 14 独立机械化旅士兵的家属发布了亲人骨瘦如柴的照片，声称他们被留在前线数月之久，却没有得到稳定的食物和水供应。

他们说，在某些情况下，士兵们甚至不得不饮用雨水。

乌克兰总参谋部上周五表示，已就此案解除了旅长和军长的职务。

瑟尔斯基在声明中表示，他的法令包括强制性体检以及及时向一线部队提供食物和弹药。

第 14 旅的证词是最新一份报告，该系列报告详细描述了乌克兰军队向前沿阵地长达数月的部署情况。

前线两侧绵延数十公里的所谓“杀伤区”使得部队轮换、补给和撤离变得极其危险。

本周，军事监察员奥尔加·雷舍蒂洛娃在接受乌克兰媒体采访时表示，像第 14 旅所面临的这种严重的后勤失败虽然罕见，但长期部署到前沿阵地仍然是“一个大问题”。

“混乱”的管理

著名志愿者和军事活动家玛丽亚·贝林斯卡赞扬了瑟尔斯基的命令。

“这是一个非常好的决定，”她在Telegram即时通讯软件上写道。“既合理又人道。我完全支持。”

然而，乌克兰捉襟见肘的军队是否有能力执行这项法令，目前仍不清楚。

在战争的大部分时间里，乌克兰军队都面临着兵力短缺的问题，因为有报道称训练和支持不足，加上征兵官员的严苛执法，导致人们的参军热情下降。

与此同时，乌克兰军队正努力阻止俄罗斯在战场上步步紧逼的推进，俄罗斯正发动攻势，企图占领乌克兰东部顿涅茨克地区的其余部分。

乌克兰著名慈善机构“活着回来”的负责人塔拉斯·奇穆特表示，人员短缺主要是由于乌克兰军队庞大的部队管理“混乱且考虑不周”造成的。

奇穆特在书面答复中表示：“军队人数相对稳定。”他还补充说，过去也曾颁布过类似的法令。“问题在于如何有效地利用这些人。”

他还表示，无人机应该最大限度地减少步兵的作用，高级指挥官在面临被包围的风险时，不应害怕下令部队撤退。