Ukraine needs more drones and better tactics, the commander of the Ukrainian National Guard, Brigadier General Oleksandr Pivnenko, said in an interview with Reuters, BTA reported.
Russian forces are adapting their tactics to the conditions of the approaching winter, and the Ukrainian army must introduce twice as many technological innovations and fill the front line with drones to prevent the Russians from seizing more territory, Pivnenko said.
He noted that nearly four years after the start of the war, Russia continues to have superiority in manpower, but Kiev and Moscow have parity in terms of drones in key areas of the battlefield field.
"It's not easy for us. I think it will always be difficult... the mud will make it harder to move," Pivnenko added.
The fighting is taking place along a front line more than 1,200 km long, with Russia saying it controls about 19% of Ukraine's territory. Over time, the nature of the fighting has changed dramatically, said the 39-year-old general, who fought against Russian forces in the eastern city of Bakhmut before the massive use of drones, which hover over the front and attack any moving object, began.
Bakhmut was captured by Russian forces in mid-2023 after nearly a year of fighting. Artillery and rocket strikes leveled the city. The forces commanded by Pivnenko are now defending the strategic town of Pokrovsk.
To speed up their advance on Pokrovsk, Russian forces have changed tactics and entered the city in small groups. For weeks, they have been active in several areas of Pokrovsk, relying on drones for cover and attacks on enemy positions.
The lack of manpower has helped the Russians break through Ukrainian defense lines. That's why Ukraine urgently needs changes related to technology and tactics, Pivnenko said. One way to achieve this is through better coordination between the "separate levels" of drone operations. For example, servicemen operating drones closer to the front line should not interfere with or duplicate the actions of those located further from the front.
The work should be distributed so that "one military unit does one thing, and the others do another. And let's not interfere with each other," Pivnenko explained.
Pivnenko, who has headed the National Guard of Ukraine since 2023, is focused on increasing the number and types of drones used by his units, improving and expanding the training of newly mobilized soldiers, and maintaining the fighting spirit of exhausted servicemen.
"We need to be very flexible and adaptable during the war, a modern war, and that's how things will work out. Stagnation is not an option. Either you act or you don't," Pivnenko added.
The National Guard is among the Ukrainian defense forces that have almost completed the transition from a brigade-based to a corps-based structure. Pivnenko now commands two corps - – – "Azov" and "Charter", which are among the most well-known and authoritative forces in Ukraine.
According to Pivnenko, the reforms will help strengthen Ukraine's defense through better control, command and coordination, and will inspire courage in younger commanders with combat experience. "Young commanders are more decisive, less experienced, but more determined to take action and change something in the overall situation. They are focused on change," Pivnenko emphasized.