- Jun 6, 2007
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Yesterday there was an article in the Wall Street Journal about the recent fall of the Ukrainian city of Avdiivka to the Russian Army. The theme of the article was that Ukrainian officers did a terrible job in withdrawing or retreating from that city; the Ukrainian military needs to improve their policies, practices, training and enforcement of these policies and good judgment for withdrawal of troops on the battlefield because this isn't the first time reports like this popped up in the battle of Bakhmut. This commentary isn't arrogance toward or a put down of the Ukrainian people my country America and its people have no room to look down on Ukraine or any country on national security matters with the Republicans in the lower House of our Parliament not approving the sixty billion dollar aid package to help Ukraine survive and fight well in waging this war to defend their country against this illegal invasion by the Russian Army. These Republican ideologues have an alarming character flaw to behave like this which really makes them unqualified to be members of Congress they don't know what it fully means to be an American and to do their duty as members of Congress.
The WSJ article tells a story about a defensive bunker complex for Avdiivka called Zenit and its fall. The city was being encircled by the Russian army and on February 13 there was at least twelve Ukrainian soldiers left in the Bunker and it was that day or the morning of the next day that seven soldiers without orders tried to make it back to the Ukrainian lines surrounding the city halve were killed by a mortar attack and the three were wounded and they returned to Zenit. On the evening of February 14th all but six retreated from the bunker to a rendezvous point where they were withdrawn to the Ukrainian front line around Avdiivka; these six included five wounded and one Ukrainian soldier that would not leave the wounded. When the soldiers from Zenit reached the rendezvous point a commanding officer told the officer commanding the withdrawing brigade to leave the wounded in Zenit and burn anything the Russians can use at Zenit. The next day the Russians arrive at Zenit and killed all six remaining soldiers Ukrainian soldiers even though it is proven they surrendered.
There is obvious shortcomings in the Ukrainian withdrawal policies hearing this story. When it is obvious your position is going to be overrun or taken by the enemy, you do not leave the wounded if they can be carried out it is a direct corollary to "No one gets left behind". When the Brigade was withdrawing on the evening of the February 14th the wounded soldiers should have been carried out. The Brigade officer should be court marshalled for not taking the wounded and lose his officer rank and be shipped to a front line combat unit. Now the commanding officer at the rendezvous point who ordered abandoning the wounded should be court marshalled and go to jail for at least five years over this matter. Any defense saying well Ukrainian army officials had spoken to Russian army officials and there was an agreement to take the six Ukrainian soldiers left at Zenit as POWs and do a later prisoner exchange has no merit at all the Russian Army has a long track record in the war of not taking prisoners especially at Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian Army should modify their policies on dealing with a falling city when it is clear it is in real danger of being encircled and cut off there should be two other officers sent to the command bunker for the Ukrainian commander commanding the city to continually give independent assessments whether the encirclement or the attack on the city is so dire that there should be a complete withdraw and whether there is meaningful utility in having units stay in the city for the Zenit brigade there clearly was no utility - the brigade was like hostages locked in the bunker, Russian drones, snipers and mortar units had them largely trapped in the bunker this brigade was not fighting the Russian army they weren't killing or wounding Russian soldiers it was a waste they were not ordered to withdraw. There should also be a policy where an Ukrainian unit is taking so many casualties that the number of non-wounded soldiers is falling to the level where they will not be enough of them to be able to carry out and withdrawal the wounded and there is no reinforcement unit to relieve the existing unit arriving imminently the existing unit should withdrawal after notifying command that it can no longer functional and will be withdrawing a unit is unfunctional if it can no longer withdrawal its wounded for medical care. There should also be a policy where if a city, town or position is in real danger of being encircled and the defending units trapped if the majority of brigade commanders believe they cannot hold their position and/or their utility in hurting the enemy militarily is minimal and it doesn't make sense to remain they may withdraw as long as all the defending brigade commanders are notified of the decision and their command is notified of the decision and it does not matter that the commanding officer of that command is not in agreement. The Ukrainian military are a great fighting force but Ukrainian military command did a sucky job in withdrawing from Bakhmut and Avdiivka!
The WSJ article tells a story about a defensive bunker complex for Avdiivka called Zenit and its fall. The city was being encircled by the Russian army and on February 13 there was at least twelve Ukrainian soldiers left in the Bunker and it was that day or the morning of the next day that seven soldiers without orders tried to make it back to the Ukrainian lines surrounding the city halve were killed by a mortar attack and the three were wounded and they returned to Zenit. On the evening of February 14th all but six retreated from the bunker to a rendezvous point where they were withdrawn to the Ukrainian front line around Avdiivka; these six included five wounded and one Ukrainian soldier that would not leave the wounded. When the soldiers from Zenit reached the rendezvous point a commanding officer told the officer commanding the withdrawing brigade to leave the wounded in Zenit and burn anything the Russians can use at Zenit. The next day the Russians arrive at Zenit and killed all six remaining soldiers Ukrainian soldiers even though it is proven they surrendered.
There is obvious shortcomings in the Ukrainian withdrawal policies hearing this story. When it is obvious your position is going to be overrun or taken by the enemy, you do not leave the wounded if they can be carried out it is a direct corollary to "No one gets left behind". When the Brigade was withdrawing on the evening of the February 14th the wounded soldiers should have been carried out. The Brigade officer should be court marshalled for not taking the wounded and lose his officer rank and be shipped to a front line combat unit. Now the commanding officer at the rendezvous point who ordered abandoning the wounded should be court marshalled and go to jail for at least five years over this matter. Any defense saying well Ukrainian army officials had spoken to Russian army officials and there was an agreement to take the six Ukrainian soldiers left at Zenit as POWs and do a later prisoner exchange has no merit at all the Russian Army has a long track record in the war of not taking prisoners especially at Bakhmut.
The Ukrainian Army should modify their policies on dealing with a falling city when it is clear it is in real danger of being encircled and cut off there should be two other officers sent to the command bunker for the Ukrainian commander commanding the city to continually give independent assessments whether the encirclement or the attack on the city is so dire that there should be a complete withdraw and whether there is meaningful utility in having units stay in the city for the Zenit brigade there clearly was no utility - the brigade was like hostages locked in the bunker, Russian drones, snipers and mortar units had them largely trapped in the bunker this brigade was not fighting the Russian army they weren't killing or wounding Russian soldiers it was a waste they were not ordered to withdraw. There should also be a policy where an Ukrainian unit is taking so many casualties that the number of non-wounded soldiers is falling to the level where they will not be enough of them to be able to carry out and withdrawal the wounded and there is no reinforcement unit to relieve the existing unit arriving imminently the existing unit should withdrawal after notifying command that it can no longer functional and will be withdrawing a unit is unfunctional if it can no longer withdrawal its wounded for medical care. There should also be a policy where if a city, town or position is in real danger of being encircled and the defending units trapped if the majority of brigade commanders believe they cannot hold their position and/or their utility in hurting the enemy militarily is minimal and it doesn't make sense to remain they may withdraw as long as all the defending brigade commanders are notified of the decision and their command is notified of the decision and it does not matter that the commanding officer of that command is not in agreement. The Ukrainian military are a great fighting force but Ukrainian military command did a sucky job in withdrawing from Bakhmut and Avdiivka!
