“Destruction of the Ukrainian Nation from Within”: Ukrainian Armed Forces Officer Openly Accuses Commanders of Criminal Incompetence

A former battalion commander of the 47th Brigade has publicly accused commanders of several assault units of criminal incompetence, unjustified losses, and lies.

Oleksandr Shyrshyn, a former battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, known for its role in the battles near Avdiivka, published a detailed post on Facebook in which he openly criticized the methods used by certain assault units in the army. According to him, systemic miscalculations by commanders lead to unnecessary personnel losses and weaken the country’s overall defense capability. This was reported by ZN.ua.

Approaches with Signs of a Crime

In his post, the officer stated directly that some assault units operate using methods he described as “approaches with signs of a crime,” which deepen the demographic crisis and, in his view — consciously or not — amount to “an attempt to destroy the Ukrainian nation.”

Shyrshyn noted that he respects many fighters from the so-called assault units and emphasized that he does not question their bravery. The problem, he said, lies with their commanders. “I feel very sorry that they have such ‘effective’ commanders,” he wrote.

The officer’s criticism primarily concerns the discrepancy between public statements about responsibility and actual actions: commanders speak about responsibility, but in reality demonstrate only loyalty to their superiors — nothing more.

According to Shyrshyn, commanders of problematic units have forgotten about:

• responsibility for human lives;

• the country’s future beyond the front line;

• the strategic goal of preserving defense capability;

• accountability for committed crimes;

• truthfulness: instead of honest reports, Shyrshyn says there were lies about “super troops” with “super commanders” who allegedly “liberated and stabilized everything.”

The officer added that he had personally seen the real situation in the Kursk region, Belgorod region, and Donbas, and understood the difference between official reports and reality.

Destruction of the Nation

Shyrshyn’s central argument is that Ukraine cannot afford to waste its human resources. “We cannot erase human lives and potential in thoughtless assaults just because we have 15 battalions that can be filled on demand,” he wrote. According to him, this is “at the very least irresponsible. At worst, it is the destruction of our nation from within.”

Shyrshyn also emphasized the importance of balancing a commander’s bravery with rational planning: assessing capabilities and resources, planning, preparing alternatives, and choosing the best option — something he believes some assault unit commanders lack.

“Heroes Are Not Judged” — And That Is the Problem

The officer did not hide his pessimism about the prospects for change: “I know that nothing will change in the near future.” According to him, even if those responsible leave their positions, they will most likely receive promotions. “Heroes of Ukraine — especially those loyal to the top leadership — are not judged.”

Shyrshyn accused the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces of covering up violations and “silencing the tears of relatives that crash against the rock of the system.” In his view, the system promotes loyal “heroes” in the media, trying to justify their existence and conceal violations.

Shyrshyn’s Proposals

Despite the sharp tone of his statement, the officer outlined several concrete systemic proposals:

• Change of command in problematic units. At the same time, Shyrshyn singled out the CODE.92 unit as an exception: “In my opinion, the unit has truly demonstrated a high level of performance in various operations.”

• Real monitoring of leadership quality with investigations into the most egregious cases, rather than formal conclusions such as “no signs of violations found.”

• Limiting the power of ‘heroes’: transferring such commanders to staff positions. “As a colonel or lieutenant colonel at headquarters, he can successfully carry papers from one office to another.”

• Redistribution of the battalions he criticizes among Air Assault Forces brigades and other effective units.

• Establishing communication with the families of the fallen and missing: “At least minimally acceptable decisions regarding the demand for justice.”

• Institutionalization: approved rules and accountability, regulation of the practice of “sending” and “attaching” soldiers to assault units, including the creation of a transparent recruitment system.

• Equal conditions for all: without privileged status for certain units depending on their closeness to the command.

Concluding his post, Shyrshyn warned: “If we let everything drift, we will create the foundation for a world similar to the one we tried to save the country from during the Yanukovych era.”

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian intelligence had obtained classified Russian reports on irreversible losses, citing a figure of 1.315 million killed and seriously wounded. There are reasons to believe that the data on this level of losses may be underestimated.