Azov, Khartiia commanders to lead 2 new National Guard corps
The National Guard has formed two new military corps as part of a broader reform of Ukraine's Defense Forces, National Guard Commander Oleksandr Pivnenko told Interfax-Ukraine in comments published on April 15.
Ukraine announced earlier this year that it would transition its military to the corps system to improve its efficiency and organization on the battlefield.
One of the new formations, the 1st Azov Corps, will be led by Colonel Denys Prokopenko, the commander of the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade.
The Azov Brigade, as well as the 1st Presidential Burevii Brigade, the 14th Chervona Kalina Brigade, the 15th Kara-Dah Brigade, and the 20th Liubart Brigade, will make up the new corps.
Colonel Ihor Obolensky, commander of the 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade, will lead the second corps, Pivnenko said.
The National Guard commander said the new corps system will improve communication and make the military more effective, considering experiences with the full-scale war.
The corps commanders should be familiar with the situation on the ground and understand the specifics of the units, Pivnenko said, naming the lack of coordination as the main obstacle facing Ukrainian forces.
The Ukrainian military currently operates under a brigade-level system, with more than 100 brigades subordinate to operational-tactical groups (OTU), which are subject to operational-strategic command (OSUV) and operational commands (OK).
Experts told the Kyiv Independent in February that the old structure created an unwieldy management system, and commanders of OTUs and OSUVs—effectively temporary bodies—were not familiar with their units.
Poor battlefield coordination has often been named as one of the key challenges plaguing the Ukrainian military as it continues to face Russia's all-out war.
Read also: Ukraine's army is reforming its structure. Will it help the fight against Russia?
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