National Guard creates two corps headed by commanders of Azov and Khartiia
The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) has created two corps, which are headed by commander of the 12th special forces brigade Azov, Colonel Denys Prokopenko (Redis), and commander of the 13th operational brigade of the NGU Khartiia (Charter), Colonel Ihor Obolensky (Kornet), commander of the National Guard Oleksandr Pivnenko said in an exclusive comment to the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
"The National Guard has created two corps; this is part of a general reform, within the framework of which the Armed Forces of Ukraine are moving from temporary troop command bodies - operational-tactical groups and tactical groups - to a corps system," Pivnenko noted.
According to him, for more effective execution of tasks it is necessary for the corps commander to be the immediate leader of his units, to know the brigade commanders, and they - him. He knew and understood the state of affairs and the specifics of his units, the available forces and means.
"That is, so that the corps commander, at the expense of his units subordinate to him, acts on the front line as a ‘united front.’ Indivisible. This was often one of the problems and main challenges in the matter of establishing interaction. Because when one brigade is in one place, the second in another, it is very difficult to exercise control," the National Guard commander noted.
Answering the question of who was appointed as corps commanders, Pivnenko said that they were Redis and Kornet.
"Our brigades have significant experience, the commanders are experienced and enjoy authority not only in the National Guard, but also in the Armed Forces," he emphasized.
According to Pivnenko, the corps system will significantly improve communication between the military and make the army more effective. The reform takes into account the experience of the war with the Russian Federation, in particular the need for rapid maneuvering, resistance to enemy attacks and the ability to hold large territories, conduct counterattacks. The corps structure should increase the flexibility and resilience of the troops and units of the NGU, including those involved in performing tasks at the front.
"In particular, it will be much easier to carry out both defensive and offensive actions. In addition, information about planning operations will be more limited - only those who will be responsible for planning will know, and accordingly, there is less likelihood of such information leaking. The corps structure itself has already been partially tested in combat zones, in particular in Donbas, where large groups have shown better coordination compared to disparate groups," he explained.
Pivnenko noted that the decision to create corps in the National Guard was supported by Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko, as well as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, with whom all processes were agreed upon.
"The processes are ongoing. All the staffing levels have been agreed upon, all the distributions have been completed. The army corps will have their own headquarters, intelligence, artillery and logistics units, which will increase their independence in carrying out combat missions without the need for constant involvement of the high command at such stages. The corps structure distributes the workload between commands of different levels," he added, noting that, given the active combat operations, the reform cannot happen quickly.
"The corps envisage the unification of several NGU brigades and auxiliary units under a single command. This allows for more effective coordination of actions on large sections of the front, optimization of logistics and resource management," Pivnenko noted.
