Ukraine's outgoing ground forces chief says his command was mired in 'managerial stagnation' when he joined
The outgoing chief of Ukraine's ground forces said on Wednesday that his command was in a "state of managerial stagnation" when he first took his post in November.
Writing on social media on Wednesday, Mykhailo Drapatyi listed a slew of issues he discovered last year, including an "atmosphere of fear, lack of initiative, closure to feedback, indifference to personnel problems, a facade of discipline, a deep gap between headquarters and units."
Drapatyi wrote that he replaced half of the leaders under him, slamming what he said was systematic abuse, staffing decisions based on connections, and chaos within the officer ranks.
"There was not even a trace of a developmental spirit in command," Drapatyi added.
The remarks from Drapatyi, who led Kyiv's land forces for roughly six months, reflect an oft-discussed frustration in Ukraine's military that it was thrown into war with an outdated structure and culture that cleaved to old Soviet habits.
Ukraine has urgently tried to initiate changes as it battles Russia on its own borders. Drapatyi, a 42-year-old general, was appointed command in November as part of a younger wave of leaders aimed at facilitating reform.
"I worked to break this system," he wrote on Wednesday.
Drapatyi said one of his focuses was reshaping Ukraine's training divisions, which he said also saw half of its leading officers removed.
Additionally, the general said he had to bring digitalization to training management and logistics systems, and introduced "psychological support tools" for soldiers.
"The Command of the Ground Forces is only at the beginning of change. A system does not change in a few months, but the vector has already been set, the team assembled, and the approaches revised," he added.
Drapatyi stepped down from his post on June 1 in the aftermath of a Russian strike on a Dnipro training ground that killed 12 Ukrainians.
While announcing his resignation, Drapatyi blamed himself for the deaths of the soldiers, calling them young Ukrainians who were "supposed to learn, live, fight— not die."
"The behavior of fighters matters, but the main responsibility always lies with the command," he wrote.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy summoned Drapatyi for a meeting on June 3, after which the latter was reassigned to the commander of the Joint Forces of Ukraine, another military branch that reports to the General Staff.
Zelenskyy said that in his new role, Drapatyi would focus "exclusively on combat issues."
Shortly after Zelenskyy's announcement, Drapatyi wrote that he would "remain in the ranks" and take on the new position assigned by the president.
"I am stepping down with a clear conscience," he wrote on Wednesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Sapsan ballistic missile to enter serial production following successful combat testing
Ukraine's domestically developed short-range Sapsan ballistic missile has successfully completed combat testing and is in the process of serial production, Ukrainian media reported on June 13. The missile, with a payload of 480 kg, completed testing in May after successfully striking a Russian military target at a range of nearly 300 km, Valentyn Badrak, head of the an independent Ukrainian think Center for Army, Conversion and Disarmament Studies told Ukraine's Defense Ministry reportedly dedicated a department to formulate and test the missile. There is no reported timeline as to when the missiles can be seen in regular use on the battlefield. Domestically produced long-range weapons are of key importance to Ukraine's defense strategy, as Western partners have been in delivering adequate weaponry amid increasing Russian attacks and offensives. The news comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a congressional hearing on June 10 that the United States will reduce funding allocated for military assistance to Ukraine in its upcoming defense budget In November 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine has produced its first 100 missiles. Since then, Ukraine has continued to increase domestic weapon production. Zelensky said on April 16 that over of the weapons used at the front line are now produced in Ukraine, including over 95% of drones used at front line. Zelensky also previously revealed that Ukraine had developed another domestic-made weapon, a missile-drone Palianytsia. As Ukraine attempt to increase its defense production, Russia has continued to unleash large-scale attacks on Ukrainian cities, regularly launching hundreds of drones to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) with the Kyiv Independent that Russia's production of ballistic missiles has increased by at least 66% over the past year. Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in late 2024 that Ukraine also resumed and scaled up serial production of Neptune cruise missiles, modifying them to have a greater range. Kyiv has received a number of long-range missiles from partners, such as U.S.-made ATACMS, British Storm Shadow, or French SCALP/T. Despite Ukrainian requests, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on June 12 that Berlin has no plans to provide Taurus long-range missiles to Kyiv. Read also: Germany to supply new Iris-T air defense systems to Ukraine, rules out Taurus missiles We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's plans to be a ‘peace' president appear to have gone up in flames
President Donald Trump tore into Tehran and stated his support for Israel Friday morning after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched aerial bombardments against Iranian nuclear sites hours earlier and took out some of Iran's military commanders and nuclear scientists in the process. Specifically, Trump chided Iran for not complying with his desire for a 'deal' on its nuclear program. Earlier in the morning, he told Fox News that the United States would assist Israel. 'I told them, in the strongest of words, to 'just do it,' but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done,' he posted on Truth Social. 'I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come - And they know how to use it.' It marked a striking change in tone for the White House from just the night before, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio had issued a statement clearly emphasizing that Israel had acted unilaterally. Just hours before the strike, Trump still seemed to signal a willingness to make a deal even while acknowledging Israel could strike. 'We remain committed to a Diplomatic Resolution to the Iran Nuclear Issue! My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,' he said. 'They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon. Thank you for your attention to this matter!' The flare-up between Israel and Iran is just the latest escalation that Trump has overseen. While Trump has always had an anti-interventionist streak, he has attempted more vocally during his 2024 campaign and his subsequent return to the White House to reduce America's role in foreign conflicts and wind down conflicts that began before his second term. Earlier this week, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Republican in the older model of the word and an ardent supporter of Ukraine, asked Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth whether Ukraine or Russia was the aggressor in the war. In response, Hegseth said Russia was, but when McConnell asked which side Hegseth wanted to win, Hegseth said 'this President is committed to peace in that conflict.' That reflected Trump's larger avoidance of outright support for Ukraine. During his one debate with Kamala Harris, he said he wanted the war to end but not whether he wanted Ukraine to win. Specifically, he said that even before he would take the oath of office, he would speak to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He famously pledged that he could end the war in 24 hours Trump's desire to end the war manifested itself in him blaming Zelensky for the conflict, despite the fact Russia invaded Ukraine. It culminated in his infamous blow-up where Vice President JD Vance tag-teamed with him to heckle Zelensky in front of the cameras and warned 'You're gambling with World War Three.' Of course, Zelensky is simply defending his country from aggression by Russia and Putin has had its eyes on Ukraine long before the 2022 invasion. Zelensky has also shown his own willingness to do what he feels is necessary, such as when Ukraine launched a bold drone attack inside Russia entitled 'Operation Spiderweb.' And Putin has not met Trump's overtures in kind. Rather, Putin continued his assault on Russia, with Trump often imploring 'Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!' Last week, Trump spoke with the Russian president and said they had 'a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace.' Trump's decision to side fully with Israel means that Trump will once again set aside his 'America First' ambitions, which has sought to have America retreat from the larger world through a three-pronged approach of non-interventionist foreign policy, heavy tariffs to prevent foreign good from entering the United States and immigration restrictionism that seeks to close the country off from immigrants who come legally and illegally while deporting migrants in the United States. Trump has never been much of a peacenik for humane reasons — he famously threatened to 'bomb the s***' out of ISIS — but now, he has realized he has to handle the larger burdens that come with being the president of the world's super-power. And letting go of that responsibility is harder than he may have imagined.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Several killed as separatists clash with Malian army, Russian allies in the conflict-hit north
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Malian security forces clashed with members of an armed separatist group over two days, resulting in the deaths of 10 separatists, the Malian army said Friday. The Azawad separatists said it killed dozens of Malian soldiers and members of a Kremlin-controlled armed force. The clashes began with a military offensive in the northern Kidal region on Thursday, the Malian army said in a statement. On Friday, the Malian military's logistics convoy was ambushed before the attack was repelled, it added. The separatists reported they killed 'dozens' of Malian soldiers and fighters with the Kremlin-controlled African Corps in the ambush. The Azawad separatist movement has been fighting for years to create the state of Azawad in northern Mali. They once drove security forces out of the region before a 2015 peace deal that has since collapsed was signed to pave the way for some ex-rebels to be integrated into the Malian military. 'We recovered 12 trucks loaded with cereals, tankers full of diesel, one military pickup, and one armored vehicles from the 30 vehicles in the convoy,' Mohamed Maouloud Ramadan, spokesman for the Azawad separatists, said in a statement that acknowledged the death of three of their members. Viral videos shared by the separatists showed military trucks on fire in a large swathe of desert land amid gunfire as gun-wielding hooded young men posed in front of the trucks. The videos also showed bodies with uniforms that resemble those of the Malian army. The Associated Press could not independently verify the videos. The latest clashes show how difficult it is for security forces in Mali to operate in difficult terrains like Kidal, according to Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South think tank. 'It's difficult to gather actionable intelligence to protect their convoys, and this gives a significant advantage to armed and jihadist groups', said Lyammouri. The latest attack occurred days after Russia's mercenary group Wagner – which for more than three years helped Malian security forces in the fight against armed groups – announced it was leaving the country. The Africa Corps, under the direct command of the Russian defense ministry, said it will remain in Mali. There are around 2,000 mercenaries in Mali, according to U.S. officials. It is unclear how many are with Wagner and how many are part of the Africa Corps.
