A dispute between soldiers and the commander of the 47th Ukrainian Brigade has thrown the elite unit into chaos, affecting its combat capabilities.
The 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade is one of the elite brigades created by Ukraine to serve the large-scale counteroffensive campaign. This unit has been in charge of the main attack in the Zaporizhzhia region since early June.
On August 22, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Sak, the brigade broke through the first Russian defense line and entered Rabotino, a strategic village on the southern front. However, they also suffered heavy losses in troops and equipment during the counterattack.
Bradley crews of the 47th Brigade deployed in Zaporizhzhia in late June. Photo: Reuters
The medical staff attached to the 47th Brigade said in September that the unit had suffered more than 1,000 casualties after 15 weeks of fighting. The losses were so severe that at one point the medical unit was down to 50 percent strength, as doctors and nurses were also killed while reaching and evacuating wounded soldiers near the village of Rabotino, despite being equipped with M113 armored personnel carriers for medical evacuation.
"In theory, each M113 can carry four wounded. One day in July, we had to cram 24 wounded into the body and roof of an M113. Those were the worst days, casualties kept rising," recalls Taras, commander of a medical unit of the 47th Brigade.
The 47th Brigade has also witnessed many internal disputes in recent months, significantly affecting the combat readiness of the unit known as the "iron fist" of the Ukrainian army.
Sergeant Major Valerii Markus, the unit’s most prominent non-commissioned officer, criticized the “incompetence” of the brigade’s command in July and asked to be transferred. Markus later met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to express his concerns, stating that he “completely disagrees” with the 47th Brigade’s combat deployment decisions.
"We were not built to the standards that were set when we were founded. I had no chance to influence or change the situation," said Sergeant Markus.
However, Rustam Mustafaiev, a sergeant major in an assault company of the 47th Brigade, accused Markus of "trying to build his image on the blood of his comrades" and dismissed criticism of the command's leadership, insisting they were doing their best "to ensure the most favorable conditions on the battlefield".
In September, Ukraine's Suspilne radio station reported that the country's military had removed Lieutenant Colonel Sak from his post as brigade commander. The reason for the decision was not made public, but the Ukrainian military news site Military Land said that Sak's dismissal was "related to the combat effectiveness of the brigade on the front line."
Colonel Oleksandr Pavliy, who had commanded the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade, was appointed to replace Sak. However, Pavliy was described by his subordinates as someone who "did not understand the structure of the unit".
The brigade’s anti-tank missile unit posted a video on social media complaining that the command refused to acknowledge that the unit had lost its offensive capability after suffering heavy losses on the battlefield. Instead, Colonel Pavliy ordered snipers, mortar and artillery units to the front lines to fight like regular infantry to maintain momentum.
A series of armored vehicles of the 47th Brigade destroyed by Russia in Zaporizhzhia in June. Video: Telegram/Voin_Dv
This group of soldiers declared their refusal to obey the order, claiming that deploying specialized soldiers to positions unrelated to their qualifications and skills was a violation of the order.
The 47th Brigade then decided to disband the anti-tank missile unit and its members were treated as regular infantrymen.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has not commented on information regarding the internal situation of the 47th Brigade.
The 47th Independent Mechanized Brigade, established in April 2022, is one of nine new brigades built by Ukraine according to Western standards, trained abroad and equipped with NATO-standard equipment. It is considered one of Ukraine's most modern, combat-ready and well-coordinated units, playing a leading role in the long-awaited counter-offensive campaign.
Vu Anh (According to Newsweek )
Source link
Comment (0)