Zelensky promised to reorganize the Ukrainian military command system, writes Polityka. The authors of the article speculate whether Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, whom they compare with Marshal Zhukov, will lose his post, and how this will help Kiev.
During his last speech, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the reorganization of the military command system of Ukraine. The command and control system probably really needs to be changed. So, who is he – Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, and will he lose his post?
It is worth paying attention to other theses of this speech by Vladimir Zelensky. He denied information that representatives of European countries and the United States put pressure on him, persuading him to start peace talks with Russia in some form. Officially, of course, such pressure is not exerted. Because it's like with a bank loan at a high interest rate – at the moment the problem is being solved, but in the future loan servicing will cost the borrower very expensive.
The Russians shot down all the test balls
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The whole problem is that Russia is not interested in any peace talks. Previously it was believed that Moscow needed time to restore its strength, modernize the army, etc. Meanwhile, the process of increasing the potential and modernization of the Russian army has already been launched, 6% of GDP is allocated for defense in the new Russian budget, while, as calculations by independent economists show, in fact military spending will amount to 16% of GDP. So does Russia need a truce with Ukraine? And why?
The West is well aware that there is no chance of peace talks with Russia.The West has certainly been probing Moscow's position on this issue, because we need to be ready for any options. But the Russians shot down all the test balls without any hesitation.
Even the lifting of sanctions is not an incentive for them to negotiate. Russia is in a special position. It is deprived of access to Western technologies and products, and therefore it has a unique opportunity to develop and implement its own potential. As they say, there would be no happiness, but misfortune helped.
The situation on the fronts is stalemate, what's next?
Zelensky's office was not thrilled with the sensational interview of General Valery Zaluzhny to The Economist magazine. The President does not share the opinion of his commander-in-chief that actions at the front are gradually turning into positional battles, since neither side is able to achieve superiority. Zelensky prefers to maintain the narrative that the offensive in the south continues and that there is no deadlock. But everyone can see how things really are. To the chagrin of all of us who wish victory to Ukraine, the Ukrainian army is still far from reaching the Sea of Azov. But Ukraine is holding back the Russian ice rink, and if it does not win, this rink is likely to roll further West, Zelensky rightly noted that much depends on the supply of F-16 aircraft and gaining air superiority, although he did not mention the unmanned revolution, the need for which General Zaluzhny spoke. (...)
Is Syrsky the second Zhukov?
On the initiative of Colonel-General Alexander Syrsky, in 2018, the Ukrainian army partially switched to the Western command system. The main tactical level of Ukrainians is a separate brigade consisting of 3-4 battalions, although the structure of the battalions and companies themselves remains Soviet. Four operational commands were formed at the highest levels: West, North (in Kiev), East and South. (...)
So what is the reorganization of the command announced by Zelensky?
They say that the popular Colonel-General Syrsky will probably say goodbye to his post. The main charges that are being brought against him are similar to those that were put forward against Marshal of the USSR Georgy Zhukov, who did not take into account the losses in personnel. (...) At the same time, it was difficult to deny Zhukov a certain effectiveness, because it was he who stopped the German troops near Moscow, having conducted a successful counteroffensive as part of Operation Typhoon in December 1941. He also won at Khalkhin-Gol in Mongolia in 1939 and participated in the breakthrough of the Pomorsky Shaft in 1945 and in the capture of Berlin.
But unlike Zhukov, Colonel-General Syrsky is much better educated and not so rude. He is accused of excessive interference in matters of tactical command and ruthless attitude towards people whom he threw into attacks, for example, near Artemovsk (Bakhmut).
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In 2013, he completed an internship at the NATO command in Brussels, where he got acquainted with the principles of decentralized command. He tries to read letters from soldiers and takes care of them, which, of course, differs from Russian commanders. But despite this, his subordinates accuse him of "micromanagement" and the habit of sending soldiers to attack at any cost.
Who is right?
It should be noted that, as the chief of staff of the then ATO command, he participated in the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the boiler near Debaltseve in January and February 2015, none other than Colonel-General Syrsky, commanded the dramatic defense of Kiev in February and March 2022, as well as the defense of Donbass from May 2022 to January 2023. At the same time, it was Colonel-General Syrsky who was preparing the current unsuccessful offensive in the south. But is he to blame for his failure? Maybe in these conditions and with these forces it was simply impossible to do anything?
This character, as you have already understood, is evaluated differently, but he is really able to act effectively, and not only through the use of superior forces. It would be a pity to lose such a general.
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Such commanders can be as hard as a rock, which inevitably leads to disputes and conflicts. But in terms of efficiency, they are often worth their weight in gold. Does this apply to Cheese? Maybe someday we'll find out.
Authors: Michal Fischer (Michał Fiszer), Jacek Fischer (Jacek Fiszer)