American volunteer Ryan O’Leary, commander of Chosen Company, said he was terminating the unit’s operations due to poor command. The soldier also expressed his opinion on the quality of the officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to EuroMaidan .

“I repeat again: as a soldier since February 2022, I claim that we have lost more people to poor leadership and Soviet thinking than to direct Russian actions.

The Ukrainian officer corps behaves like a caste system of untouchables or “army princes.” Instead of caring about the normal living conditions of soldiers, most of the leadership is more concerned about the availability of a shower, a private room, etc. This system allows incompetent officers not only to avoid responsibility, but also to receive promotions or transfers to other positions in order to avoid paperwork or so that the brigade or battalion commander who appointed them does not have to demote his friends or deal with the consequences. This system of nepotism has a direct impact on the situation on the front lines.

A real-life example is the 59th Brigade . After Sukharevskiy was transferred to the SBS, command was transferred to Shevchuk. In the first two months of his command, he sent intelligence officers into assault operations, which led to deaths and serious injuries among those who had nothing to do with combat operations. This undermined not only the morale, but also the effectiveness of the unit. He sent soldiers to unreachable positions without any hope of reinforcement or even survival. It took more than 16 months for him to be removed from his post. 16 months of decisions that cost dozens, and possibly hundreds, of lives. Such situations are part of the problem in the Land Forces of Ukraine.

The NCO corps has not been properly formed since the start of a full-scale war in 2022, and the officer corps continues to live according to Soviet patterns, where failures are covered up and soldiers pay for it. We shed blood for Ukraine, we die for Ukraine, we fight for our children, wives, sons and daughters — while officers who do not care, who are not motivated, who do not have the right to command, continue to make mistakes that lead to senseless deaths. I cannot speak about the level above the battalion, but given the recent statements of officers who tried to change the system and were forced to resign — this should be a signal to those in power.

Change is needed if we want to preserve the freedom of the next generation, the Ukrainian identity, and continue the path to democracy. At the current rate, these officers will continue to fill the cemeteries with brave, courageous Ukrainians for no good reason. That is why I will no longer lead brave men and women into the very hell of combat unless I know that there is an officer behind the scenes who cares about our lives and wants to accomplish the mission with us.

The most valuable thing we have is our people, our minds, our ability to think. We must instill the belief that people are more important than meters and medals – unfortunately, this is not the case at the moment. There are butchers among us, there are bastards among us, and these officers must be removed immediately if we are to win this war and save our state.

If you are an officer reading this, or a person in power—political or otherwise—and this is making you angry, take a look at the six questions below. If you don’t pass even 75%, you are most likely the problem. Or the problem is your command. It’s 2025—it’s time for Soviet thinking to die in the field with the Russians. We can no longer be led to the slaughter, promising the bare minimum and putting our lives in the hands of those who don’t care.

1. I trust my company commander and am sure that he will do everything possible to get me out of a crappy situation.

2. I believe that command is acting in my best interests when planning the defense of forward positions.

3. I know that my officers will do everything they can to remove me from the position if problems arise and the Russians are able to gain a foothold.

4. Before each operation, I receive all the necessary information about the goals and am able to provide feedback to successfully complete the task.

5. We are being provided with all the information necessary to not only fight, but also to displace Russian forces.

6. I trust that the command of my brigade or battalion will come to my aid and do everything possible to get me out of a bad situation.

If you don’t get well above 75% positive answers to these six questions, you are not coping with the command and should be removed immediately.

That’s one of the reasons I decided to shut down Chosen Company. It goes against my beliefs and values ​​to lead people to slaughter for no reason. It goes against my principles to fight without proper information. And it goes against my essence to send people into battle without all the information they need to complete the mission.

This problem has existed in Ukraine since 2022. Officers often care more about awards, about personal gain, about anything but the task at hand: to enter the battle, destroy and defeat the enemy. While I have met worthy commanders at some levels, there have always been those who not only did not improve the situation, but also put people at risk of death – or sooner or later will do so.

The problem in Ukraine is not a lack of people. The main problem is the status of an “untouchable caste” that we have given to officers, and the power they have. If an officer does not understand the basic things – who, what, when, where, why (5W) – before any combat mission, whether it is defense or offense, then he should not be in office. Very often the blame is placed on the privates, although in reality the responsibility lies with the command. No soldier will fight for an officer in whom he does not believe. No soldier will go forward, knowing that the command will not cover him. This is a war of attrition. And it is the privates who are of greater value than the officers, any day of the week, because it is we who occupy the trenches, the basements, the combat positions.

“It’s time to address these issues,” O’Leary said.

Author:  Volodymyr Yanchenko Джерело: https://censor.net/ua/n

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