While commanding officers worked to strengthen air defenses and protect frontline troops against drone strikes, they failed to communicate the reality on the ground to military leadership.
Veronika Melkozerova
“Systematic enemy air and missile strikes on the crossings across the Oskil River have significantly complicated the logistical support of troops around the city of Kupiansk. The logistics of our troops here are provided by watercraft and heavy UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles],” the General Staff said in a statement Friday.
While commanding officers of the 14th brigade worked to strengthen air defenses and protect frontline troops against drone strikes, they failed to communicate the real state of affairs on the ground to military leadership.
The General Staff said it was unaware of the brigade’s issues with food supplies and confirmed it launched an investigation into the commanders’ behavior. As for the soldiers affected, “as soon as the situation allows, they will be evacuated,” the General Staff assured.
Ukraine’s Joint Forces Task Force (JFTF), an army unit created last year to lead troops in the Kharkiv region, described the situation as “horrible management shame.”
“This is a consequence of long-term management decisions at the corps level and its interaction with units. At the same time, reports were heard at various levels that the situation was organized and controlled, which, as everyone saw, does not correspond to reality,” JFTF said in a statement Friday.
The Task Force said it’s actively working to solve the problem, with additional supplies being immediately sent to the positions of the 14th brigade; it also urged other field commanders not to hide difficulties from central command.
