In enkele artikelen in
Ukrinform staat wat informatie over hoe de Commander van de National Guard of Ukraine, Oleksandr Pivnenko kijkt naar de huidige Russische aanvallen. In een tweede
artikel geeft hij aan wat hij nog tekort komt en een derde
artikel gaat onder anderen over de productie van drones.
Nationale garde? Zelf moest ik even de rol ervan concreet maken (
wiki):
The National Guard of Ukraine is a military force under the command of Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and is tasked to protect public order, strategically important facilities and counter illegal paramilitary groups. Originally formed in 1991, in 2000 the National Guard was disbanded due to financial issues, then restored in 2014 after the Maidan revolution on the basis of the former Internal Troops of Ukraine, which formerly co-existed with the first iteration of the NGU. During martial law periods, the units of National Guard are subordinated to Ukrainian Armed Forces.
De Nationale Garde bestaat dus aan de huidige Oekraïense grenzen vooral voor de verdedigingsrol. Vanuit deze rol kan Oleksandr Pivnenko iets vinden over de Russische aanvallen en hoe die zich in de tijd ontwikkelen. Hij stelt dat de Russen in een tot anderhalve maand niet meer goed op alle assen tegelijk kunnen aanvallen:
It's difficult. But the enemy's offensive capabilities are not limitless, including due to the massive losses they’re suffering... I think up in a month and a half, they won’t be able to conduct active assaults in multiple directions at once and will turn to the defensive in any case.
Zoals ik het lees wil hij dat Oekraïne op dit moment anticipeert en haar strategie voorbereidt
So during this time, we need to form our units and train personnel.
It is necessary for the Army to seek the enemy’s weak points and avoid the strong ones.
En dan dat adapteren aan de actuele veranderingen, daarover laat hij zich in het midden. Zijn antwoord is niet te interpreteren, behalve dan misschien dat het nog werk in uitvoering is:
You need to adapt, change the management model, and set goals: if something doesn't w.ork, try something else, asymmetrically. But you can't radically change everything, all things take time, especially if we talk about systemic changes.
Iets specifieker:
We need to develop. If we are constantly one step ahead and thinking about the future, then everything will be fine. The most important thing that needs to happen now is preparation, development of training centers, procurement of weapons, military equipment, production of military equipment, drones, armored vehicles in our country, air defense equipment, MANPADS, and ammunition.
Over waaraan wordt ontwikkeld:
There are areas, such as ammunition, where we would like to do better. We are currently testing a drone that is very resistant to electronic warfare. A kilogram of explosives can be attached to it. And this is promising, because electronic warfare is evolving - both ours and theirs. We need to keep moving, to change again and again. We need to improve our training, increase logistics, and unite. This is how we will survive.
En adaptie slaat onder anderen terug op de aanpassingen op logistiekvlak:
the logistics are very much adapted to the conditions of war.The supply of weapons, ammunition, and food is carried out taking into account the threats and for the fastest possible delivery to the places where it is needed.
Over het opschalen van bepaalde taken:
We manufacture FPVs, in particular. Previously, we had one separate unit for UAV operators, and now we have two more (a separate unit for the use of Omega Wings and Typhoon UAVs). We have created an unmanned systems control centre that deals with analysis and application. This is important to be able to store, analyse and control this work, and to increase its efficiency
Over wat zwaarder materieel:
Ook geeft de National Guard alleen geld uit aan zaken die ze echt niet zelf kan maken:
We already have three of our own furniture workshops where we assemble furniture for the needs of the National Guard: tables, chairs, bedside tables, wardrobes. We have built prefabricated (modular) barracks, so there is no need to buy furniture. We have the capability to manufacture equipment for fortifications.
Over voortgang in de bouw van fortificaties, zegt hij refererend aan opmerkingen van westerse analysten dat dit opschiet:
We emphasize this. We must understand that there are defense lines, there are fortifications that the soldiers and our engineering units set up on their own. If the position is properly equipped, the chances of survival are much higher. And we also need reserve positions. When we expelled the enemy from Kharkiv region (in 2022), the defense line held by our brigade was nearly 70km long.
Our task as the military is to have combat-ready units, brigades that are capable of effectively performing tasks at the front, capable of defending our state
Op de vraag wat hij in verband hiermee nog nodig heeft:
Trained personnel, UAV crews. People need to be selected, analysed to see who has what skills, and then trained... A person is mobilised and goes through five weeks of general military training. Then he is sent, for example, to a UAV unit, where he receives professional training, and only then is he involved in performing tasks
Op de vraag of het aantal vrijwilligers onder druk staat:
I understand that over time, it sags a little bit - at first there is a peak, then the activity decreases, but then there will be a peak again. There are areas that, on the contrary, have grown. In particular, the development of medical, rehabilitation, training centres, social projects.
Maar tenslotte ook de volgende geruststelling:
Pivnenko expressed the opinion that Ukraine will withstand the enemy onslaught in any case.