Captain Oleksandr Shyrshyn voices concerns over high-risk missions and lack of response from military leadership.
On May 21, 2025, Captain Oleksandr Shyrshyn, a battalion commander of the 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, published a new statement addressing serious concerns about how combat missions are planned and conducted.
He began by thanking those who supported him following his initial public remarks on May 16, which resonated widely within the military community and beyond.
“Friends, thank you all immensely for your support! I did not expect such a response, but perhaps the demand to address these issues is enormous.”
Shyrshyn described how, during operations in the Kursk region and along the Russian border, his battalion was repeatedly tasked with operations he called “doomed to failure,” with high chances of casualties and no meaningful reassessment by command.
“These were missions that, by all signs, were bound to fail and exposed personnel to an extremely high probability of unjustified losses. This happened multiple times without learning from earlier tragedies.”
He emphasized that prior to going public, he submitted multiple formal and informal objections to higher command, most of which went unanswered—except for a single case acknowledged by the commander of the 117th Brigade.
“Almost all appeals were ignored—except one, and I thank the commander of the 117th Brigade for that.”
Shyrshyn clarified that his statements were not aimed at calling for anyone’s resignation, but at drawing attention to systemic dysfunction in the military hierarchy.
“I never demanded the resignation of the Commander-in-Chief or any other senior officer. Our problems are systemic—they’re not about one person.”
He also pushed back against interpretations that he was advocating for surrender or inaction:
“I have never said we should stop fighting—on the contrary, only the strong are respected. The enemy must be physically destroyed.”
Praising his own troops, Shyrshyn described their dedication across roles: infantry, operators, medics, and others who have continued performing their duties under extreme conditions.
“My brave infantry reclaimed Ukrainian land, held the line even when encircled… Our operators entered enemy lines, took out tanks and armored vehicles, were wounded, got back into action, and kept going.”
He expressed concern that higher military leadership has grown numb to frontline losses:
“In recent months, I’ve had the impression that someone is simply trying to erase us. Human lives are treated like spare change at a party.”
Despite the criticism, he confirmed that his unit continues to receive and carry out combat assignments, and that initial contact from the General Staff has finally begun.
“There are now attempts at communication from the General Staff. I hope for constructive dialogue, a real solution—not just window dressing—so that this doesn’t happen again.”
Earlier, Captain Shyrshyn had filed a resignation request, citing ineffective leadership and decisions that led to unnecessary deaths.
“The dumbest orders I’ve ever seen. One day I’ll go into details, but losing people senselessly while leadership trembles before incompetent generals leads only to failure.”
Following his first statement, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the creation of a working group to review the circumstances, directives, and command-level decisions that led to the situation.
While some military-affiliated pages have condemned Shyrshyn’s move as “airing dirty laundry,” others have voiced support. Notably, Bohdan Krotevych, former Chief of Staff of the Azov Brigade, backed Shyrshyn—he himself had earlier filed a complaint against General Yuriy Sodol over the mismanagement of troops and heavy losses in 2024.
