Ukrainian President's Office considers audit a key task of new commander-in-chief: out of 1 million mobilised soldiers only 300,000 were on front

Mykhailo Podoliak, the advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, has stated that Ukraine’s leadership expects Oleksandr Syrsky, the newly-appointed chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to conduct an "audit" of soldiers, because out of the 1 million of mobilised soldiers only 300,000 persons participated in combat.

Source: Podoliak in the broadcast of the national 24/7 newscast

Podoliak recalled President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s words about 1 million of mobilised soldiers from 8 February

Quote: "The President said a different thing, for instance, speaking about the renewal of the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he said: ‘About 1 million people have been mobilised’. But in reality only 200,000-300,000 soldiers have been on the front.

Others were very far from the war, but they still exist. So I think one of the key tasks of Syrskyi will be to conduct an audit: who’s been mobilised, where they are and what they are up to. And after that he will say how many people are needed.

Mobilisation must be ongoing constantly and not be done in one sitting. Mr Syrskyi must say where and how mobilised people were deployed or will be deployed."

Details: Podoliak says that there must be a clear understanding of who and how will replace the soldiers who have been in the front for almost two years.

He noted that from now on all issues concerning staffing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, training of soldiers, making management decisions (on mobilisation, rotation, demobilisation) will be connected with the commander-in-chief.

Podoliak stated that this is another gap which must be filled: "The military must explain everything concerning mobilisation in clear terms: its procedures, which needs of the army must be covered, how it all must be conducted, how to facilitate rotations [etc.]."

He recalled that after replacing the commander-in-chief, the president named 3-4 tasks to be completed: "We need to clearly understand the tactics because 2023 did not give the results we had expected in offensive operations. We cannot remain stagnant in 2024. We need to work out a step-by-step algorithm of what to do next."

Podoliak said that first and foremost, Ukraine’s Armed Forces must decide "who will make decisions on different levels in the Armed Forces and which decisions these will be, taking into account that there is a large group of field generals working on the front whose opinion on what to do is a bit different because they know Russia’s resources".

Background: 

• On 8 February, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, simultaneously reported having had a joint meeting and said they had discussed changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces.
• Later that day, Zelenskyy appointed Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Valerii Zaluzhnyi. 
• Mykhailo Podoliak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said that the need to review military tactics and prevent stagnation at the front was one of the reasons why Valerii Zaluyzhnyi had been dismissed as commander-in-chief.

Read more on this topic: An army without Zaluzhnyi: Who is General Syrskyi, Ukraine's new Commander-in-Chief?

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