22 August, 2025
The transition of Ukraine’s Defense Forces to a corps-based command system is not a bureaucratic experiment or cosmetic reform. It is a fundamental step without which it is impossible to build a modern army capable of resisting Russia’s war machine
This was stated to Espreso by Mykhailo Samus, director of the New Geopolitics Research Network and co-founder of the Defense Information Consortium.
The expert noted that until now, Ukraine used a structure that no longer matched the scale and intensity of combat on the Russian-Ukrainian front.
“Temporary operational-tactical groupings, created ‘for specific tasks,’ turned out to be ineffective when it came to managing hundreds of units. Their temporary nature bred lack of responsibility and efficiency, and they drowned in bureaucracy. In a corps system, however, a corps commander is responsible for everything: the front sector, depth of defense, logistics, personnel training, and, most importantly, the outcome of the operation. This is a qualitatively different level of responsibility that changes the very logic of warfare,” Samus emphasized.
According to him, the fact that near Pokrovsk Ukrainian troops not only stopped a breakthrough — eliminating Russian sabotage groups, preventing armored vehicles from entering the city, and pushing the enemy back — became possible largely thanks to the corps system in the Armed Forces.
“In reality, Ukraine cannot resist Russia by relying on numerical parity. Our chance lies in a faster command cycle, in an effective kill chain, and in the ability to integrate high technologies into a unified command system. The corps becomes the basic unit that makes this possible. It establishes clear responsibility, integrates all force components, ensures logistics and training, and creates conditions for quick decision-making,” Samus said.
He also pointed out that the corps system opens the way for deeper integration of Ukraine into NATO structures, since this is the model Alliance members use.
“Without a corps system, Ukraine’s army would remain fragmented between temporary structures and chaotic management processes. With it, the army gains a chance to become a modern force capable not only of holding out but of winning — in a war where the future is decided not by mass but by speed and precision,” the expert concluded.