Claims that air defense personnel are being reassigned to infantry roles due to troop shortages are "not credible, and incorrect," the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in a Facebook post on Dec. 21.
The response follows the publication of a report by the Guardian on Dec. 21, that claimed highly trained air defense specialists were being reassigned to infantry roles, weakening Ukraine's air defense capabilities.
The Facebook post said that while some soldiers from rear units have been reassigned to combat positions, this does not include air defense specialists "tasked with protecting Ukraine’s skies."
“Reassignments involve military personnel from the Security Forces of Ukraine, some rear mobile fire groups, as well as personnel not involved in the maintenance and operation of high-tech armaments, and military equipment,” the statement said.
The General Staff also said air defense operations remain effective.
“The number of shot-down drones has not decreased,” the statement said.
The Guardian's report attributed this alleged shift to several factors, including a growing shortage of troops, Ukraine's refusal to lower the age of conscription despite U.S. insistence, and the deployment of older, less well-trained individuals to the front lines.
A source told the Guardian the situation was reaching a critical level, expressing doubts about the air defense's ability to function effectively.
The source also said that many of the redeployed personnel had specialized knowledge of air defense systems, but they were sent to the front lines without adequate preparation for combat roles.
Mariana Bezuhla, a Ukrainian MP quoted in The Guardian's report, commented on the consequences of these alleged decisions on her Telegram channel on Dec. 21.
“These measures lead to a significant reduction in air defense units, leaving them staffed with inexperienced and older servicemen,” she wrote, warning that this could "strain relations with the United States, as Ukraine struggles to mobilize enough personnel to replenish its losses."
She also said that "transferring highly qualified air defense specialists—some trained in the West—to the front-lines without proper preparation increases the risk of classified information being compromised if they are captured.”
“It’s been a long time since our air defense operated at full capacity, and its quality has significantly deteriorated,” she added,
The news comes amid escalating aerial threats against Ukraine, marked by a Russian attack on Dec. 20. Five ballistic missiles targeted Kyiv, while other oblasts across the country faced widespread attacks.
Just a day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to “test” Western air defenses by launching an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile at the Ukrainian capital.
Elsa Court
