On July 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree establishing new forces within the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Initially, it was expected that assault units, often viewed as the “personal guard” of former Commander Oleksandr Syrskyi, would be included. However, these units have faced controversy over reported incidents of abusive behavior towards personnel, according to BBC News Ukraine.
General Mykhailo Drapatyy, Syrskyi’s successor, reportedly has a different strategy for deploying these assault troops, which has hindered the formation of the new type of military forces.
General Voloshyn stated that he has not been removed from his position and has not been reassigned. He mentioned that he had attempted to engage in the process of establishing the command structure for the new forces until events related to changes in the military-political leadership of the country occurred.
Initially, based on the commander’s directives, he was transferred from the operations zone of the 8th Corps to Kyiv to help form the new command. Voloshyn met with Drapatyy to discuss tasks assigned to him during Syrskyi’s leadership. Drapatyy instructed him to continue executing those tasks.
Subsequently, Voloshyn received orders to return to the front line without any explanation. He addressed media reports suggesting that the assault troops did not accept his vision for the command structure, which primarily included personnel from airborne forces. Voloshyn clarified that this was inaccurate, as he had planned for less than 20% of the command structure to consist of personnel from airborne units, contrary to claims of 80% reported by the media.
“To state that the assault troops rejected airborne personnel is a manipulation of facts; it’s just hearsay,” he remarked. He added that the composition of forces and resources established prior to Drapatyy’s arrival remains unchanged.
