One of the biggest challenges for Ukraine during a full-scale war remains the formation of a combat-ready army of people who had no military experience before mobilization. This was stated by the military ombudsman of Ukraine Olga Reshetilova, quoted by The New York Times.
The issue of adapting civilians to military service is one of the key problems facing the armed forces of Ukraine today.
“The main challenge is how to build an army essentially of civilians?“, Reshetilova emphasized.
The publication reports on the ombudsman’s recent visit to the 162nd Mechanized Brigade in western Ukraine, which was soon to be deployed to fight at the front. Reshetilova’s task was to protect the soldiers from cruel commanders, colleagues and violations of the law.
She noticed a soldier sitting on a bench with a crutch nearby; he clearly had health problems. The brigade commander, Colonel Dmitry Borodiy, who accompanied the ombudsman, said that there were at least 20 recruits in such a state and he did not know what to do with them.
As Borodiy told Reshetilova, the conscription officers recruited such men, even though they were more of a burden than a benefit. The colonel added that he had no legal right to leave them when the brigade was sent to the front. The ombudsman promised to raise the issue with officials in Kiev.
Another problem, according to the commander, is unauthorized absence from the unit. Borodiy describes a recruit, a film director, who upon arriving for training "was weak, with trembling legs and arms, and wide-eyed." He was told his job could be to shoot videos for the brigade.
“But no, three days later the director disappeared,“ the colonel said.
According to Reshetilova, by defending soldiers' rights, she aims to strengthen the army by reducing both draft evasion and absenteeism. At the same time, she acknowledged that despite her mandate, her influence is still limited.
Reshetilova also spoke about the challenges of training soldiers for a new type of warfare. She noted that due to the widespread use of drones, Ukrainian troops need to be trained for long-term survival in conditions that were not considered typical for the front just a few years ago.
According to her, today Ukrainian troops are increasingly forced to stay in camouflaged underground shelters for extended periods, with no practical opportunity to surface even for basic hygiene or to evacuate wounded comrades.
“This requires changes in training doctrine. Now we need to prepare soldiers for long-term survival in confined spaces,“ she added. Reshetilova emphasized.
As she noted, soldiers need to know how to survive even at temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius, without being able to light a fire, as any flame could give away their position.