Ukraine denies sending untrained air defense soldiers to infantry units, says only support staff moved to combat roles
The Ukrainian General Staff says the military command maintains effectiveness of air defense operations while acknowledging tactical redistribution of non-specialized personnel to strengthen front-line positions amid ongoing combat pressure.
The Ukrainian General Staff has criticized the report published by The Guardian, which said that Kyiv transfers unprepared soldiers from air defense units to infantry brigades. The Ukrainian military command has called such claims “false” and “incorrect.”
The British newspaper reported that the Ukrainian military has begun reallocating personnel from air defense units to fill critical gaps in infantry forces caused by the high mobilization age rate of 25 years.
The Ukrainian General Staff has called the assertion that “air defense units being reassigned to infantry” inaccurate.
The Ukrainian military command’s statement has emphasized that the Air Force personnel were indeed reassigned according to their military specialties to properly staff military units. However, this does not concern specialized air defense soldiers responsible for protecting Ukraine’s skies.
It has stressed that the Air Force includes service members with various military specialties. The reassignment has involved soldiers from the Air Force’s guard units, some support mobile fire groups, and other personnel not operating and maintaining high-tech weapons and military equipment.
“The situation at the front line is difficult, and the priority now is to hold the front,” the General Staff noted, underlining that moving some rear-line soldiers into combat units is intended to fulfill this critical task.
It says that the number of intercepted Russian kamikaze drones, such as Shaheds, attacking Ukraine has not decreased.
“The Air Defense of the Ukrainian Air Force is performing its tasks effectively, distinguishing between genuine enemy strike drones and UAVs of unidentified types, which are often false targets. These are typically reported in summaries of air defense actions as ‘locationally lost,'” the General Staff added.
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