'Second stage' of Ukrainian military's corps reform underway, Syrskyi says
The transition of Ukraine's military to a corps command system has entered its "second stage," with more work to be done to improve each corps' effectiveness on the battlefield, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Feb. 10.
The reforms, officially announced in early 2025, came as a response to criticism of the previous structure where brigades fought under large temporary command umbrellas that did not take direct responsibility for the units under them.
"The increase in enemy losses is one of the results of the corps reform," Syrskyi said in a post on the Ukrainian General Staff's Facebook page.
According to the general, brigades continue to be reshuffled into their native corps' areas of responsibility, a process made more dangerous by the lack of reserves and Russia's readiness to attack during rotations of larger units.
In addition, Syrskyi said, the ability of the corps to boost the combat power of the brigades in their sector is being expanded, with each corps now boasting its own artillery brigades, and unmanned systems battalions expanded to regiment size.
As of early 2026, 18 separate corps have been formed, two of which are led by Ukraine's National Guard, and the rest of which are in the Armed Forces.
Each of the corps, by design, commands around five brigades, but in reality, the brigades fighting in the corps command's sector are not all in that respective corps on paper.
Throughout 2025, as the system was gradually introduced, results have so far mixed.
Some corps such as the 3rd Army Corps built on the back of Ukraine's well-known and effective 3rd Assault Brigade, have gathered their native units and are fighting together in unity, while others, such as the 17th and 20th corps, have had their commanders dismissed by Syrskyi for poor results on the battlefield.
