https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/9406
I am grateful to General Zaluzhny for two years of defense. I am grateful for every victory that we achieved together and thanks to all Ukrainian soldiers who heroically carry this war on themselves. We talked frankly today about what needs to change in the army. Urgent changes. I offered General Zaluzhny to continue to be together in the team of the Ukrainian state. I will be grateful for his consent.
From today, a new management team is joining the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I want the vision of war to be the same in our soldiers in Robotino or Avdiivka, and in the General Staff and the Headquarters. I had dozens of conversations with commanders of different levels. In particular, today I spoke with brigade generals Andriy Gnatov, Mykhailo Drapaty, Igor Skybyuk and colonels Pavlo Palisa and Vadym Sukharevsky.
They are all considered for leadership positions in the army and will serve under the guidance of the most experienced Ukrainian commander. He has a successful experience of defense - he conducted the Kyiv defensive operation. He also has a successful experience of advance - the Kharkiv liberation operation.
I appointed Lieutenant General Syrsky as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Today I also spoke with generals Moysyuk and Zabrodsky. Their experience is in the service of the state.
2024 can be a successful year for Ukraine only on condition of effective changes in the basis of our defense, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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I live in the west and am super pro-NATO rah rah all the way dude. But the last time the US and allies fought meat waves, they were pushed down to the 38th parallel.
NATO has a lot to offer Ukraine, but NATO is not prepared for the exact style of war going on. Just doing 100% NATO practices is going to be an equivalent of “fighting the previous war”. Ukraine is right to take a bit from column A and a bit from column B for everything: they are the ones fighting and dying - they see what works and what doesn’t.
Let’s also hear opinions from others stating that the NATO concepts are not 100% aplicable here: https://youtu.be/4t84giGYMq4
Absolutely, it is just a lot more flexible than top down Russian style.
We saw the limits of NATO strategy on the offence. Strategy for tanks is to go around the minefield if you encounter it. Apparently 400km wide 100m deep triple density minefield was not something anyone imagined… LoL. And in terms of NATO doctrine, utilizing peoples expertise optimally is what I focussed on. Ukraine is incapable of excersising full NATO doctrine, they have no discernable Airforce.
Warfare has changed a lot since. Drones and DPICM make a lot of difference. But we need to step up our supply as the west. And the limitation of no cluster munitions need to be revisited. As it is good in theory, but without the cluster munitions of the US Russians would have rolled up on avdiivka a month ago.
I can’t armchair general this, I can only see what both sides are accomplishing and how and at what costs and be amazed, donate some money and let my prime minister know we need to do more.
Plus I can see NATO adapting their whole playbook on what is happening here.