Ukraine Conflict Sees Brigade Commanders Ordered to Record Videos Backing Syrskyi
The Ukraine conflict has drawn fresh attention to internal military leadership tensions after reports emerged that brigade commanders received instructions to produce video statements supporting Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. These developments coincide with public protests and accusations from a former defense ministry advisor regarding unit management and battlefield incidents.
Orders for Video Statements in Support of Syrskyi
Serhii Sternenko, a volunteer and former advisor to dismissed Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, stated that brigade commanders received instructions on 18 July to record and post videos supporting Syrskyi by 17:00, with non-compliance leading to punishment. [1] Ukrainska Pravda sources within the military confirmed that such an instruction was issued. [1] According to one servicemember whose screenshots Sternenko provided, the orders arrived on the morning of 18 July. [1] Another servicemember indicated the task originated from the Air Assault Forces command. [1] A further source noted that preparation of the videos was assigned to brigades' communications units. [1] An Ukrainska Pravda source within the defence forces added that brigade commanders had been handed the task to record video statements. [1] Sternenko wrote on social media that servicemembers who would not obey were being punished. [1]
Sternenko's Accusations of Battlefield Failures and Cover-ups
Serhii Sternenko broadcast accusations live on YouTube on 17 July regarding a failed assault on the Pokrovsk front. [3] He described how troops under the command of the suspended 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" Commander Yurii Harkavyi entered an armored assault without notifying neighboring Ukrainian units or conducting reconnaissance. [3] According to Sternenko, the column drove into Ukrainian minefields before coming under Russian artillery and drone fire. [3] The surviving soldiers then became disoriented and mistakenly assaulted the positions of another Ukrainian brigade, resulting in a friendly-fire incident that killed soldiers from both sides. [3] Sternenko alleged that instead of investigating the incident and dismissing Harkavyi, Ukraine's military leadership sought to discredit him after he publicly wrote about the assault. [3] He stated that a servicemember from the Skelia unit released a post criticising Syrskyi, after which the individual disappeared and the account was deleted. [1] Sternenko claimed he himself faced a massive information campaign alleging he had invented the story. [3]
Ukrainian brigade commanders record video statements supporting Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi amid leadership tensions. — Source: cnn
Allegations of Deliberate Weakening of Brigades
Sternenko alleged that Syrskyi deliberately deprived certain brigades of personnel, equipment, and logistical support if he disapproved of their commanders, while directing over half of newly mobilized recruits to favored units. [3] He said some brigades and certain regiments at one point were receiving more than half of all newly mobilized personnel in the entire country, while the rest received either minimal reinforcements or none at all. [3] Sternenko further alleged that commanders who fell out of favor could be denied reinforcements or logistical support, leaving their units vulnerable during Russian assaults so that when the Russians attacked that brigade it would collapse more quickly. [3] A senior member of one prominent and highly successful Ukrainian brigade told The Kyiv Independent they believed Syrskyi had deliberately sabotaged their unit on multiple occasions by refusing to allocate military support promised by Western partners and holding back logistical support or reinforcements. [3] The officer said Fedorov's efforts to improve transparency around battlefield losses and resource allocation threatened that system. [3] Sternenko also accused Syrskyi of failing to properly analyze battlefield losses, alleging that the General Staff refused to provide casualty data to the Defense Ministry even after officials requested it. [3]
Public Protests Following Fedorov's Dismissal
Protests demanding the reinstatement of Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister and the dismissal of Syrskyi continued for a second day in Kyiv and other cities on 17 July. [1] On 16 July, protests in support of the former defence minister took place near the President's Office in Kyiv and in a number of Ukrainian cities. [1] The protesters called on the authorities to reinstate Fedorov in the new government. [1] Approximately 1,000-2,000 people gathered in Kyiv on the morning of 16 July to protest his dismissal, some of whom were soldiers and veterans. [3] More protests were scheduled to take place on the evening of 17 July. [3] Zelenskyy acknowledged that Fedorov and Syrskyi were unable to work together effectively and that problems on the battlefield, in military brigades and with mobilisation remain unresolved. [1] He said it was right that Ukrainian citizens are able to take part in peaceful demonstrations and express their views even during wartime, adding that he had not yet made a final decision on the issue they had raised. [1]
Brigade commanders record video statements supporting Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi. — Source: kyivindependent
Appointment of New Defense Minister and Background Tensions
Zelenskyy appointed Yevhen Khmara, acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, to carry out the duties of defense minister after stating that Fedorov and Syrskyi could not work together effectively. [1] Later Zelenskyy said he would propose the appointment of Yevhen Khmara as defence minister to the Verkhovna Rada. [1] Khmara, who is currently the acting head of the Security Service of Ukraine, will now carry out the duties of Ukraine's defence minister on the president's instruction. [1] The tensions stemmed from a difference in leadership styles and approaches to military culture. [3] Syrskyi, who graduated from the Moscow Higher Military Command School in 1986, favors the heavily centralized style of command and control used by the Soviet Union. [3] Fedorov, a young defense minister who had tried to drastically reform the army and air defense sectors, said during his 16 July press conference that there is no other choice if Ukraine wants to defeat the enemy asymmetrically, with minimal losses. [3] The dismissal of Fedorov as defense minister has been met with outrage across Ukrainian society, largely due to a long list of his achievements during his productive, albeit short, six-month tenure. [3]
Ongoing Investigations into Skelia Regiment
The Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation is conducting a criminal probe into the 425th Separate Assault Regiment "Skelia" following reports of at least 26 noncombat deaths, physical abuse and inadequate medical care for recruits. [1] The unit's commander was suspended, and authorities are currently investigating allegations of systemic abuse. [1] Skelia is one of Ukraine's largest assault formations, with more than 10,000 personnel. [3] Expanded as part of an effort by Syrskyi to build specialized assault units, the regiment receives a large share of newly mobilized recruits and is regularly assigned high-risk assault operations. [3] Skelia has reportedly suffered higher-than-average battlefield losses, and a recent investigation by Ukrainian news outlet Babel alleged abuse within the unit and at least 26 noncombat deaths among recruits. [3] On 24 July, a day after the investigation was published, Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation announced a pre-trial investigation of Skelia. [3]
What to watch next: Further protests are scheduled while the State Bureau of Investigation continues its probe into the Skelia regiment and the General Staff has not yet publicly responded to the allegations against Syrskyi.
