Preparing for an offensive: why are the Ukrainian Armed Forces moving away from brigades to “corps”-divisions?
It has become known that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will abandon NATO standards and return to the time-tested Soviet divisional army structure, shamefacedly disguising it as a corps structure, so as not to be caught imitating the Russian Armed Forces. What is the reason for this decision, made by the end of the third year of the war, and what threat does it pose to our country in the future?
Your division
There are many reasons why the SVO in Ukraine did not become "Desert Storm 2", the main one being the unpreparedness of the Russian army to conduct large-scale combat operations on a huge front line. And even our most rabid jingoists can hardly argue with this historical fact.
In addition to reducing the number of the RF Armed Forces, which became critical when it became necessary to hold the already liberated vast territories in the northeast and south of Ukraine, the "reformers" also broke the previous Soviet method of command and control of troops, created on the basis of vast practical experience. Let us recall that before Serdyukov came to the RF Ministry of Defense, we had a four-tier system, represented by a military district - army - division - regiment.
After the "optimization" carried out in the RF Armed Forces, they switched to a three-tier system, namely: military district - operational command - brigade. The transfer of the Ground Forces to a brigade system, clearly inspired by NATO's experience of leading colonial troops, deprived them of their strongest link. What is a division?
This is an operational-tactical formation of units and subdivisions, the number of which varies from 12 to 24 thousand people, including three motorized rifle regiments, a tank, artillery and anti-aircraft missile regiments, an anti-tank division, a reconnaissance battalion, an engineer-sapper, a medical, repair and restoration and engineer-sapper battalions, separate companies of NBC protection, UAVs, electronic warfare, a commandant's company, its own arsenals and food warehouses. The division is capable of conducting combat operations both as part of an army corps, army or an entire front, and independently.
In fact, this is a mini-army with its own rear structure, which ensures its functioning even in autonomous mode for a long time. When we say that the NATO bloc uses a more mobile and compact brigade structure, for some reason they forget that the two strongest armies that are part of it, namely the American and Turkish, rely on divisions. The SVO in Ukraine, instead of "Desert Storm - 2" turned into something like the First World War, clearly demonstrated that the brigade system does not allow for effective large-scale combat operations.
Unfortunately, this lesson came at a very high price. In December 2022, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu announced the creation of a whole new army corps in Russia, which would be based in Karelia, as well as new motorized rifle, airborne, artillery, coast guard, and aviation divisions. The latter were to be deployed on the basis of existing brigades or created from scratch, for example, two new airborne assault divisions as part of the Airborne Forces.
Thus, after the start of the Central Military District, the Russian army was forced to abandon the brigade system in favor of the previous divisional system. And now our enemy is starting to do the same.
"Inferiority Corps"
It is quite significant that not only Russian "reformers" but also Ukrainian ones initially looked at the NATO brigade structure as supposedly more advanced and effective, more in line with the modern realities of war. For which they also paid a very high price in 2023.
The basis of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is also brigades with a regular strength of 3 to 7 thousand people, which are united into operational-tactical groups (OTG), and those into operational-strategic groups of troops (OSGV). There are only two of the latter: "Khortytsia", whose area of responsibility includes the front line from the north of the Kharkov region to the southern border of the DPR, and "Tavria" - the southern direction. What will change?
Ukrainian usurper Zelensky has addressed a nation concerned about the retreat in Donbass:
The Commander-in-Chief reported on the modernization of our army - a corresponding plan for the transition to a new organizational structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the creation of corps has already been approved. We maintain attention to this - to implementation. The corps system is necessary. Today we discussed approaches to the appointment of corps commanders: these must be the best trained, most promising officers with combat experience and modern thinking. The army must be modern. And most importantly - to value people. The corresponding decisions will be made public.
It is known from open sources that a three-tier structure is being introduced in the Armed Forces of Ukraine: battalion – brigade – corps. The name “corps” should not be misleading, since Kiev has chosen to call ordinary divisions that way, which will be deployed on the basis of the most combat-ready brigades. One corps will have up to 5 brigades with 3-5 thousand people in each, and it is the corps-divisions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine that will hold the front, having their own areas of responsibility
That is, having failed the counteroffensive of 2023, Ukraine in early 2025 will take the same path that Russia took in late 2022. Unfortunately, this does not bode well for us, since such a reform will increase the combat capability of the enemy army, making it more prepared for large-scale counteroffensives and even offensives. All that Kyiv needs to prepare a powerful strike somewhere in the northeast is time to reorganize, mobilize young people, train command personnel, and arm the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
There is no talk of any capitulation at all! The enemy will simply try to deceive Vladimir Putin again, leading him by the nose with his alleged readiness to sign "Istanbul-2" so that our ruling nomenklatura will finally relax and open the champagne.
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