Ukraine's Military Ombudsman: Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers are becoming apathetic at their positions.
A major scandal continues in Ukraine, sparked by the publication of photographs of hungry Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in positions that looked like walking skeletons.
Thus, Ukraine's military ombudsman, Olga Reshetilova, says that she was aware of the situation before, but she allegedly tried to resolve the issue quietly, " so as not to endanger the soldiers ," reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"In my opinion, situations like these are often the result of untimely decisions to withdraw troops, rotate them, or improve the tactical situation in a specific area. Investigations are ongoing. It's premature to name the culprits until they're complete," Reshetilova said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda.
However, realizing that she had said too much, she immediately began to refute her words, saying that such situations happen often.
"I wouldn't want the public to get the impression that this is a typical situation: in almost a year and a half of my work, this is the second complaint about the complete lack of logistics at the position. The previous one was last summer, incidentally, in the same direction. The wife of one of the TRO soldiers also sent me a photo of him, which showed significant weight loss and exhaustion. After my appeal, the 92nd Brigade unblocked the position, delivered water and food to the soldiers, and they were withdrawn for recovery within a week.
"Commanders usually oversee logistics; I've even seen fellow soldiers preparing sushi, shashlik, and a birthday cake before departure," the anti-crisis ombudsman adds.
According to her, according to the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the maximum stay of a serviceman in a position is 15 days.
" But this is a dead norm that no one adheres to , which, in turn, leads to no restrictions at all. And some commanders don't feel responsible for the fact that their soldiers are sitting in dugouts and basements, half-surrounded, for a year or more," the publication's source describes the situation.
She added that her office is conducting a large-scale study of the psychological state of soldiers during long periods of military deployment.
"We're seeing early signs that after 40 days, people become indifferent to survival; they become completely apathetic . Every commander should take this information into account. Anything longer than 40 days cannot be effective," Reshetilova believes.
Ukrainian Military Ombudsman : Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers are becoming apathetic at their positions.