Another Ukrainian brigade falls apart during deployment near Pokrovsk, - Forbes
Date: 2025-01-27 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WAR
For the second time in a month, a newly created brigade of the Ukrainian army falls apart during deployment in the hot Pokrovsk direction. We are talking about the 157th mechanized brigade, Forbes writes.
The newly created brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular the 155th and 157th mechanized brigades, are facing significant difficulties when deploying to the front lines. The main reasons for this are the insufficient level of training, the lack of experienced soldiers and weak organization.
"This newly created brigade did not undergo the necessary combat training," one of the relatives of a soldier of the 157th mechanized brigade told Hromadske. "But it was immediately sent to hot areas."
Due to the lack of an experienced core that could support the new recruits, the new units demonstrate low combat effectiveness. One of the brigade officers noted that to form a core, "ideally up to 30 experienced guys" are needed, to which new people are added. In the 157th Mechanized Brigade, "everyone is new," the source added.
Shortcomings in training have led to soldiers often leaving their positions, and brigades falling apart. As a result, the command is forced to disband such brigades, attaching their units to experienced units.
Critics note that the problem lies in the priorities and management decisions of the General Staff. Instead of creating new units, soldiers could be added to existing brigades with combat experience. "Why not replenish the brigades that were created long ago?" one military officer said in a comment to Hromadske.
"The problem is in the organizational and leadership failure," says Tatarigami, founder of the Frontelligence Insight analytical group in Ukraine. Leaders in Kyiv were clearly eager to prove to their foreign allies that they still had the manpower and political will to expand the Ukrainian army and sustain the fight against the Russian invaders.
Despite these challenges, there is hope for improvement. After the 155th Brigade disbanded, President Volodymyr Zelensky halted the formation of new brigades and ordered recruits to be sent to existing units. However, this initiative came too late for the 157th Mechanized Brigade.
“One can only wonder why the high command is ignoring these issues and hope that the brigades that have not yet deployed, namely the 156th, 158th and 159th, can learn from these mistakes,” Militaryland said.
