Statement of the commander of the 1st Battalion of the 47th Mechanized Brigade, Oleksandr Shyrshyn, regarding his desire to resign in protest against the incompetent decisions of the Ukrainian command in the Kursk region — this is an important event for the army and society.
The words of Battalion Commander Shyrshyn cannot be ignored — this is an unprecedentedly sharp criticism and a challenge that demands an official response from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Chief of the General Staff, the Commander of the Ground Forces, and the Commander of the “Kursk” military grouping.
The 47th Brigade is carrying out missions in the Kursk region, and the issues raised by Commander Shyrshyn on Facebook are also being raised by some other Ukrainian commanders in this direction. Quote:
“I have never received dumber tasks than those on the current front. I will tell the details sometime later, but senseless loss of people and trembling before clueless generals leads to nothing but failures. All they are capable of is reprimands, investigations, and imposing punishments. They can all go to hell. The ‘political’ games and assessment of the real situation do not correspond to reality or capabilities. They have played themselves out.
A corresponding report has been written. I hope I will be relieved soon, so I will be ready to share some details with friends — journalists.
Thank you, General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine! I hope your children will also be in the infantry, carrying out your tasks.”
What is this about?
We can see it right now in the videos near the village of Tyotkino, which the enemy is posting from their drones — attempts to attack with columns of equipment head-on under observation and fire from Russian drones are leading to significant losses of both equipment and personnel. The assigned tasks do not always correspond to the capabilities of the troops, the terrain, or even basic tactics. The military command’s underestimation of the drone threat results in failures in engineering support, protection of equipment and personnel, and serious mistakes in control and deployment of forces.
The political task to conduct combat operations on enemy territory, which was set by the Headquarters, is poorly organized and planned at both the operational and tactical levels. No one is trying to draw conclusions or learn from mistakes; on the contrary, the same errors are repeated many times, disregarding the losses.
Who is this battalion commander who spoke out?
Oleksandr Shyrshyn is an intellectual and well-educated person. His candid frontline photo reading a book by philosopher Timothy Snyder in a trench in 2022 went viral worldwide. Shyrshyn has been defending Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion. He joined the war in the 80th Air Assault Brigade, becoming a platoon commander. Later, he became the company commander of the 47th Mechanized Brigade.
He proved himself a true leader during the offensive operation in the Zaporizhzhia direction in 2023. His company was one of the first to break through the enemy’s strong and well-prepared frontline defenses head-on and reached Robotyne, because the company commander was always with his men, often personally taking part in assaults and fighting alongside everyone on the front line. Shyrshyn’s company can be seen in Oleg Sentsov’s film Real.
For his combat merits, Shyrshyn was appointed deputy commander and then commander of the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the 47th Brigade. In battles near Avdiivka and in the Kursk region, he showed himself in the best light.
Shyrshyn has always personally overseen the evacuation of wounded and fallen soldiers, doing everything possible to minimize losses, which has earned him great respect among his fighters. For him, the lives of people and the execution of risky combat missions are not just words but actions he has carried out many times. So if he raised the issue sharply, it means he has the moral right to do so.
Shyrshyn is right — essentially, the war cannot be fought this way any longer.
To solve the problem, he has shown readiness to renounce his high rank for the sake of honor. This is the act of a Warrior and a Citizen.
What should be done?
His words deserve an official evaluation.
Further actions in the Kursk region should be planned only after conducting an After Action Review.
The honesty and intellect of the officer deserve not dismissal, but, on the contrary, a promotion.
