Oleksandr Shyrshyn, battalion commander of the 47 Separate Mechanized Brigade, has submitted his resignation, sharply criticizing Ukraine’s military leadership for what he described as senseless orders and unnecessary casualties.
"I have never received more stupid tasks than in the current direction," Shyrshyn wrote in a blunt Facebook post announcing his decision on May 16. "Someday I will tell you the details, but the stupid loss of people, trembling in front of a stupid generals, leads to nothing but failures."
Ukraine's General Staff, who was tagged in Shyrshyn's post, had not commented on the matter at the time of the publication.
The Kyiv Independent reported in 2023 that the brigade, which was formed from scratch in 2022 and is often known by the name “Magura," was prepared with the summer 2023 counteroffensive in mind; its soldiers were trained in NATO countries and equipped with superior new Western equipment.
In 2024, the brigade was engaged in combat operations within Russia's Kursk Oblast.
Ukraine launched its cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first major foreign ground offensive into Russian territory since World War II. The operation sought to delay a planned Russian push into Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast and redirect Russian forces away from eastern Donetsk Oblast.
Moscow began a major counteroffensive in early March, retaking large portions of territory including the town of Sudzha. Ukrainian forces have since withdrawn from much of the area but still maintain limited control in some zones as of late April despite Russia's claims that its forces have fully recaptured the territory of the region.
Meanwhile, Shyrshyn on May 16 accused the military command of focusing on punishments rather than results. "All they are capable of is reprimands, investigations, imposition of penalties. Everyone is going to hell," he wrote. "Political games and assessment of the real state of affairs do not correspond to either reality or possibilities. They played games."
Shyrshyn said he has filed a formal report requesting dismissal from his post and expressed hope that it would be accepted soon.
Olena Goncharova
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