{"id":79393,"date":"2026-03-10T20:33:52","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T19:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/?p=79393"},"modified":"2026-03-10T20:36:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T19:36:43","slug":"former-47th-brigade-commander-criticizes-assault-units-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/news\/former-47th-brigade-commander-criticizes-assault-units-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"Former 47th Brigade Commander Criticizes Assault Units Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Oleksandr Shyrshyn, former battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/a.shyrshyn\/posts\/pfbid0338GD2hHVKhEL3L8oJeTeFRMZkxpeuZMKeToBz22qxmHbzK1KSJhNTSzUoKxByU9Yl\">has publicly criticized<\/a> the leadership and operational methods of some Ukrainian assault units, arguing that systemic failures are causing unnecessary casualties and weakening the country\u2019s defense capability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a detailed statement, Shyrshyn acknowledged the courage of soldiers while criticizing their commanders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>&#8220;I have respect for many fighters of the so-called assault units, and I\u2019m very sorry that they have such \u2018effective\u2019 commanders. Unfortunately, when certain individuals are given power, despite their talk about responsibility, there is nothing in common with that term except loyalty to a superior. For some reason, responsibility for human lives is forgotten, responsibility for the country\u2019s future\u2014which exists and will continue to exist beyond the front line\u2014and even responsibility for the strategic goal, at least in terms of the country\u2019s defense capability.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He criticized narratives promoting \u201csuper-troops\u201d or \u201csuper-commanders,\u201d arguing they do not reflect battlefield realities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cI saw Kursk region, Belgorod region, Donbas\u2026 I heard the reports and I knew the reality. Many claims about \u2018liberation\u2019 and \u2018stabilization\u2019 do not match what actually happened. Courage and character of a commander, of course, play an important role and in critical moments can even save the situation, but there must also be a balance of intellect and prudence. Assessment of capabilities and resources, planning, preparation of options, and choosing the best one are essential.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1294996283912605\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\"\n     data-ad-layout=\"in-article\"\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1294996283912605\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1699389936\"><\/ins>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Shyrshyn warned that failing to address systemic issues could have long-term consequences for Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cBy letting everything run its course, we are creating the foundation for a world we tried to prevent during the Yanukovych era. Then let the law truly be the law for everyone, not only for those who don\u2019t fit the vision of the commander-in-chief. Changing leadership in these units is necessary. Monitoring the quality of command, investigating the most egregious cases, and making decisions about the future of commanders is essential. We cannot let the system operate on autopilot.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He also proposed structural reforms to reduce unnecessary losses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cPerhaps redistributing battalions among more experienced brigades, establishing clear communication with the families of soldiers who were killed or went missing, and creating fair rules for temporary assignment to assault units would help. Fair conditions should be created, not privilege\u2014whether for PMCs, the commander-in-chief, or a mechanized brigade. Our mistakes cost us dearly. We don\u2019t have time to indulge in the whims of generals. We cannot erase human lives and potential in thoughtless assaults just because we have 15 battalions that can be filled on the first demand. At the very least, it\u2019s irresponsible. At worst, it\u2019s the destruction of our nation from within.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>He also higlighted that 475th Assault Regiment CODE.92 is an exception, and the unit has indeed performed well at a high level in various operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not the first time Oleksandr Shyrshyn has publicly criticized the Ukrainian command. In May 2025, <a href=\"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/news\/idiotic-orders-and-losses-magura-commander-resigns\/\">he resigned from his position<\/a> as commander of a mechanized battalion in the 47th Mechanized Brigade, <a href=\"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/news\/idiotic-orders-and-losses-magura-commander-resigns\/\">stating<\/a> he had never received dumber orders, accusing higher command of playing political games, and describing General Sirskyi as being disconnected from reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oleksandr Shyrshyn, former battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, has publicly criticized the leadership and operational methods of some Ukrainian assault units, arguing that systemic failures are causing&#8230;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":3,"label":"News"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/militaryland.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news_shyrshyn2-1024x536.webp",1024,536,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Jerome Rendall","author_link":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/author\/ml_admin\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":3,"name":"News","slug":"news","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":1055,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3,"category_count":1055,"category_description":"","cat_name":"News","category_nicename":"news","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79393"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79393\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79412,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79393\/revisions\/79412"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/militaryland.net\/ua\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}