Service in the rear area, as it turns out, does not always meet the expectations of soldiers who are ready to give their lives for their country. The military's talk about the prioritization of aspects that have little to do with military training and defense capability indicates the presence of serious problems in the internal system of the army.
He also touches on the topic of organizing service and training conscripts, who face the same problems as the rear units. His story makes it clear that the Ukrainian army urgently needs to be reformed to make it modern and effective and get rid of Soviet traditions and rituals.
The author's name and surname are known to the editorial staff, this person is indeed serving in one of the rear units after being wounded at the front, but we are not publishing them for security reasons. Further direct speech.
Everything is perfect on paper
I do not claim to know the general situation, but I know that the state of affairs in my unit, which I will describe here, exists in others, both in the NGU and in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I really hope that there are units where everything is not like that.
There are facilities that need to be guarded, and security companies usually handle this. There are guard posts set up, a schedule is set, and officers come regularly with inspections. A lot of paperwork is written. Everything is clear, logical, correct, and necessary. Papers will confirm everything. Unfortunately, only papers.
T-shirt and socks
For example, in such units, they check that the uniform is uniform (and not, for example, pixel pants and a cartoon top) and must be tucked into the pants. So that if it's a tunic, then there's a T-shirt under it, not a polo. And a military T-shirt, not just any kind. But the tunic is always worn buttoned up, don't you think? That's right. But the inspector will turn up its edge to see what's under it. And socks can't be light-colored. I'm really surprised that they don't check underpants.
They also check that the posts are clean and orderly — exactly the kind of order that this particular inspector envisions. They also check that the soldiers know by heart a few specific articles from the charter.
What is not checked
As you can see, they are checking really “necessary” things, without which the defense of the facility would be impossible. Such “little things” as the presence of ammunition at the posts (ammo, grenades and grenade launchers at some, where it would be appropriate), good visibility of the firing sector from the positions, are of absolutely no interest to the inspectors. And there is no BC at the posts — only four magazines for each. Why BC, when a soldier has a standard, neatly tucked uniform and, like a rhyme, can recite articles from the statute? This is precisely what is critical for protection and defense.
“Open lessons”
When I was at school, sometimes we had so-called open lessons, when someone from the district administration came to the lesson. And some teachers would rehearse this lesson. They also told the students to dress in a certain way, not as usual. I didn't think that in my adult life I would have to see this insanity again, but before some tests here in the units the same thing happens.
"Tomorrow there will be a check with the CCC, there will be a colonel so-and-so, so that the uniform is exactly like this. This evening, everything should be cleaned up, nothing superfluous anywhere, so that everything shines.".
As usual, the colonel checks cleanliness, remarks to someone that their trousers are not neatly tucked into their berets, and to someone who is unshaven. He checks their knowledge of articles from the charter.
And sometimes they look inside the stoves, even in the summer, to make sure they're clean there too. God forbid, if someone throws a few napkins in there and the inspector sees them there! This is the main duty of our Ukrainian officers, they studied for it in the academies.
Even now, during a full-scale invasion, they don't let any fighting distract them from these incredibly important details while inspecting rear units.
The presence or absence of BCs at guard positions, the duty schedule, the algorithm of actions in the event of an attack or a DRG attack - these are not things that interest the colonels who travel around with inspections. They are also not interested in the units on the front line, but writing a big report on how many shortcomings were found in the rear is another matter.
“Write more”
Both mobilized and contract soldiers serve in the rear units. Previously, conscripts also served. Sometimes soldiers are transferred there after being wounded, but most of the personnel, according to my observations, have not changed much since 2022.
Soldiers fill out logs and reports about actions that exist only on paper and which, frankly, no one needs, but according to some regulations from Soviet times, they should have been carried out.
“Write more, or they’ll f*** you for not writing enough,” the commanders say.
Draftees
Until April-May 2024, the rear units had conscripts mobilized back in 2022. Some of them were demobilized, some remained to serve, having signed a contract or after mobilization.
I crossed paths with them in the security unit and was convinced that conscription is a waste of your life time (I always thought so). Becoming a conscript, you literally become a free labor force for several months of your life. Well, there is a salary of 400 or so hryvnias, you are fed and have a place to sleep. Although the food they feed you, according to many conscripts from different units, is not always edible. They dig, build, unload and load cars and trucks, rearrange and sort things in warehouses.
Before the full-scale invasion, some units had quite regular shootings, about once a month or a half. Before that, there was a short briefing. In some, in addition to shooting once a month, there were also theoretical trainings about what types of grenades, mines, tanks, etc. There were even regular physical exercises in some units. That was, in fact, all the military stuff they had.
After the invasion, most units began to conduct more theoretical exercises, but shootings became even less frequent. Again, this is not the situation in all units throughout the country, this is the situation in those units where people who I personally met served in the military. No statistical reliability.
Maybe I was so “lucky” that I came across people from the worst parts of our country, while in most others, conscription really did involve meaningful education and military training. I would like to believe it, but something doesn’t seem right.
Shovel rituals
At some point, it occurred to me that such units not only do not help us win, but in fact hinder us on the path to victory, because considerable funds are allocated for their maintenance: salaries and expenses for soldiers and officers, money for treatment, and later for pensions. The protection of objects according to the “Guard” statute, Soviet rituals with the breeders, and the delivery of “political information” to personnel — these are all unnecessary Soviet rudiments that are performed only during inspections, but dozens of papers are filled out every day, which again simply eats up working man-hours.
All of this is part of a larger problem — the UPA (Ukrainian Paper Army). But if in the case of combat units, pieces of paper are a distraction and prevent them from actually fighting, then in the case of security units, pieces of paper are the essence of their existence.
