Kiev using Western-trained air defense experts as infantry – Guardian
Ukraine’s manpower shortage on the front lines has become so critical that Kiev has been forced to reassign some highly trained air defense specialists as infantry, The Guardian has reported, citing sources in the country's military.
Kiev has ordered its depleted air defense units to “free up” even more personnel to send to the front, prompting concerns that the move poses a risk to Ukraine’s security, the publication wrote on Saturday.
“This has been going on for a year, but it’s been getting worse and worse… I’m already down to less than half [of full strength]. In recent days, the commission came, and they want dozens more,” an air defense officer said on condition of anonymity.
Another source from one of the affected units stated that the situation is “reaching a critical level where we can’t be sure that air defense can function properly.”
These transfers and reassignments allegedly involve even individuals who have been trained in the West and possess specialized knowledge about operating and maintaining air defense systems.
“These people knew how air defense works, some had been trained in the West and had real skills, now they are sent to the front to fight, for which they have no training,” the source said.
Those The Guardian spoke with also voiced fears that some commanders could abuse the orders to send those they do not like to the front as punishment. Another concern is that these troops could surrender or get captured and provide sensitive information about Ukrainian air defense positions and tactics to the Russians.
The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces did not deny the existence of such an order but called The Guardian’s report “unreliable and incorrect,” insisting in a Facebook post on Saturday that the decision does not affect crucial specialists.
“Reassignments involve military personnel from the Security Forces of Ukraine, some rear mobile fire groups, as well as personnel who are not involved in the maintenance and operation of high-tech weapons and military equipment,” it said, noting that the Air Force has plenty of personnel not directly involved in protecting the skies.
“The situation on the line of contact is difficult, and now the main thing is to hold the front. Decisions on the transfer of some military personnel from rear units to combat units are aimed at fulfilling this priority task,” it added.
Ukraine is grappling with challenges in recruiting new soldiers, exacerbated by significant rates of desertion. The Ukrainian government has reduced the conscription age to 25 but has so far resisted calls from its Western sponsors to further lower it to 18 to fill its ranks more effectively. The mobilization campaign has also faced a backlash, with reports of authorities conducting raids in public spaces and forcibly conscripting men from the streets.
Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov has estimated that Ukraine’s army lost over half a million servicemen in 2024 alone, bringing total losses to more than one million since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.
Speaking at a defense board meeting on Monday, Belousov stated that most of Kiev’s frontline units are severely understaffed, with only 45-50% of positions filled. The minister also reported that Russian Armed Forces are maintaining a strategic initiative across the entire line of contact, with troops advancing by an average of 30 square kilometers daily.
