Ukraine's military denies mass re-deployment of soldiers from air defense to infantry
Ukraine's military on Aug. 30 rejected persistent rumors that it is mass-transferring soldiers from air defense to infantry, according to RBK-Ukraine.
Andrii Kovalov, a spokesperson for the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, in part denied the remobilization from air defense into infantry roles.
RBK-Ukraine reports that Kovalov acknowledged reassignments among service members of air defense forces who are not critical for their units. However, this does not concern air defense specialists protecting Ukrainian skies, the spokesperson said.
The denial may have been in response to an Aug. 29 Telegram post from activist Serhii Sternenko claiming that such re-deployments continue.
"After large-scale air attacks, we are finding new orders to transfer air defense specialists to infantry. That includes operators of interceptor drones," Sternenko wrote, referring to a deadly strike on Kyiv the night of Aug. 28.
The subject is an enduring one. Many new recruits sign up for specific units of the Ukrainian military where they are less likely to die in combat, such as air defense, rather than infantry roles. But infantry roles hold the line in the face of Russian advances.
Compounding the problem are persistent issues with Ukraine's mobilization, which are failing to fill holes in lines due to casualties and desertions.
