January 27, 2025
The unusual combat organization of the Ukrainian army is taking its toll.
In a classic military hierarchy Corps, Divisions, Brigades and Battalions each have their own staff and responsibilities. The Ukrainian army is using a more flexible but also chaotic structure of Operational Units with less control. The results are unnecessary losses on the battle field.
After the Maidan coup the Ukrainian government designated the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk areas held by separatists as the Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (ATO) and put it under the control of the Ukrainian secret service SBU.
In 2018 this changed:
On 20 February 2018, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko changed the status of the ATO zone from an anti-terrorist operation to "taking measures to ensure national security and defense, and repulsing and deterring the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts".This allowed the Ukrainian military to take charge of the zones instead of the Ukrainian secret service SBU. As such, the ATO was renamed to JFO zone (Joint Forces Operation (Ukrainian: Операція об'єднаних сил, ООС, romanized: Operatsiya ob'yednanykh syl).
The Commander of the Joint (or 'Combined') Forces Operation is also the commander of the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group which is directing the war against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.
The Operational-Strategic Group (OSUV) commands several Operational Tactical Groups (OTUs), each with their local areas of responsibility. Several brigades and/or battalions get temporarily assigned to each Operation Tactical Group to fulfill its tasks.
This scheme is largely seen as ineffective:
Operational Tactical Groups (OTUs) and Operational Strategic Groups (OSUVs) are temporary military administrative bodies created specifically to command troops within combat zones and adjacent areas. These entities lack formal legal attributes such as correspondence addresses, contact details, or designated military unit numbers. Their structure is flexible, with authority limited to units operating within their respective zones of responsibility. In contrast, the established Operational Commands (OCs) focus on broader responsibilities, including the manning, training, and ensuring the combat readiness of their assigned units.In simple terms, Operational Commands are responsible for preparing troops, while units deployed to a combat zone are transferred to an OTU or OSUV, which plan and coordinate their combat operations. This division often causes conflicts at both tactical and strategic levels. OTUs and OSUVs do not oversee the condition of the troops; they assign tasks based solely on operational needs, treating units as abstract entities on paper. When a unit loses its combat effectiveness, it is returned to its Operational Command for recovery and reorganization.
Operational-Strategic Groups as well as Operational Tactical Groups lack the staff and dedicated resources to fight their battles. They have little control over their assigned units which also continue to receive orders from their Operational Command. Units thus lack a clear line of reporting.
The commander of the Joint Forces and the Khortytsia Operational-Strategic Group is in a very hot seat. He is responsible for the successes and failures in eastern Ukraine while lacking control over his assigned resources and the means to influence those.
Sudden unceremoniously changes in that position have happened frequently with the latest announced just yesterday.
Zelensky replaces commander of Joint Forces Operation - Interfax, Mar 15 2022
KYIV. March 15 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Eduard Moskaliov has been appointed the new commander of the Joint Forces Operation, and its previous commander, Oleksandr Pavliuk, is the new head of the Kyiv regional military administration, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
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Gen. Maj. Eduard Moskaliov, a professional, has been appointed the new commander of the Joint Forces Operation," Zelensky said in his video address on Tuesday.
Zelenskyy fired commander of joint forces - Ukrainska Pravda, Feb 26 2023
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Eduard Moskaliov from the post of commander of the joint forces.
Source: President’s decree on the President's website
Quote: "To fire Eduard Mykhailovych Moskaliov from the position of commander of the joint forces."
Recently dismissed Joint Forces Commander says he found out about his dismissal from news headlines - Ukrainska Pravda, Feb 11 2024
Serhii Naiev, Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has indicated that he learned about the presidential decree on his dismissal from the mass media on 11 February.
Zelensky appoints 4 new high-level military commanders - Kyiv Independent, Feb 11 2024
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced four high-level military appointments on his website on Feb. 11, including the commanders of the Ground Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, the Combined Forces, and the Airborne Assault Forces.
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The Combined Forces will be headed by Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol, former head of Ukraine’s marine corps since 2018.Zelensky dismissed former Airborne Assault Commander Maksym Myrhorodskyi and former Combined Forces Commander Serhii Naiev.
Zelensky Replaces AFU Joint Forces Commander Amid Criticism and Military Failures- Kyiv Post, Jun 24 2024
Late night on Monday, June 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol as the Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Joint Forces with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.
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Sodol had been the Joint Forces Commander since February 2024. His tenure faced criticism from military observers.Activist Serhii Sternenko called his appointment a "personnel disaster," and People's Deputy Mariana Bezuhla blamed him for failing to defend Kharkiv Oblast from a Russian incursion in mid-May.
Earlier on Monday, June 24, Bohdan Krotevych, Chief of Staff of the Azov National Guard Brigade, has formally requested the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) to investigate Lieutenant General Yuri Sodol, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Ukraine's Andrii Hnatov to head Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group soon - Ukrainska Pravda, Jun 26 2024
Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov, the new commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, will replace Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol as the Head of Khortytsia Operational Strategic Group.
Ukraine replaces commander of eastern front after Russia captures another town - Reuters, Jan 26 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced the commander of the eastern front, the most heated battlefield of the Ukraine war, after Russian forces captured another strategic town there.Brigadier-General Andriy Hnatov was replaced as the battlefield commander in the east by Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, overall commander of ground forces, who will keep his previous duties. Hnatov was given a role overseeing training and communications.
Eduard Moskaliov lasted 11 month. Serhii Naiev lasted 12 months. Yuri Sodol was fired after 4 months. Andrii Hnatov had 7 month.
How Mykhailo Drapatyi, now in a double role, is supposed to better handle the chaotic organization is beyond me.
Posted by b on January 27, 2025 at 16:36 UTC | \