Ukrainian people's deputy and secretary of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, Roman Kostenko, believes that the current discussion should not focus on the "collapse of the front," but rather on the tactical advancement of the enemy, which Ukrainian forces are currently unable to halt. He stated this in an interview with Radio NV.
"For me personally, 'the front has collapsed' means when the enemy rapidly penetrates our defenses by dozens of kilometers. Right now, we can refer to the situation as losing territory, where the enemy is advancing with tactical success. I would say that there is currently a lack of defense stability. Our defense is unstable, which allows the enemy to make progress. If we consider everything comprehensively, then this term could be applied. But I personally wouldn't use it for the current situation we are facing. However, the situation is complex, and the enemy is advancing," Kostenko states.
The MP adds that there are also several issues regarding the management of troops and points out that experts and generals discuss this, but "are afraid to voice it to the higher military and political leadership."
"I believe that our [management] issues are not so much due to the overload of our command structures, but rather that they are often composed of individuals who lack sufficient experience. What do I mean? These are temporary formations that are created for the purpose of completing a specific task. For instance, take an operational-tactical command. To form it, they appoint a general from somewhere, assign him a staff, and he begins to work. Brigades start arriving at this grouping. Brigades that have never worked with this commander before. They come, get acquainted, are assigned an area of responsibility, and start working," Kostenko explains.
According to him, these individuals "rotate every two to three months." After working for a while and getting accustomed, they are replaced by new personnel, resulting in "a lack of management stability," which happens frequently, the MP points out.
"Sometimes, they throw in 10 brigades, or even 15. They are simply unable to manage such a number of units at times. Occasionally, commanders respond to the question: why didn't a certain brigade complete a task? I know that there can be answers like, 'I don't even have time to learn the names of the commanders of these brigades that are in this direction.' And that is a problem," Roman Kostenko asserts.
We also reported that changing the command structure in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will improve the situation on the battlefield. According to Serhiy Bratchuk, the command of the Armed Forces is preparing such changes, but it is better for the enemy to remain unaware of this.