Ukraine raids Air Force technical staff for infantry as mobilization crisis deepens

A major scandal has erupted in Ukraine’s military after technicians from the 114th Aviation Brigade publicly revealed that a mass transfer of specialists to infantry positions threatens to cripple their unit’s aircraft maintenance capabilities, exposing deeper issues in Ukraine’s military mobilization efforts.

The controversy highlights a critical dilemma facing Ukraine’s military leadership: maintaining specialized technical capabilities while addressing severe infantry shortages along the front lines. As Russia continues its offensive operations, the decision to transfer highly trained aviation personnel to infantry roles reveals the desperate measures being taken to stabilize the front.

According to a public statement by Sergeant Vitaliy Horzhevskyi, 250 personnel have already been transferred to infantry roles from the brigade, with orders to transfer an additional 218 technicians – almost the entire technical staff. The unit, which operates MiG-29 fighters and has received training on Western aircraft, would effectively become non-operational, the statement says.

“The situation is worse than I thought,” an anonymous aviation sector source told Forbes Ukraine. “They’re scooping up everyone possible.” The transfers reportedly affect not only aviation brigades but also anti-aircraft and radar units across the military.

The source indicated that the reassignments stem from active enemy attacks and pressure on Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi to stabilize the front. However, due to failed mobilization efforts, there is a catastrophic shortage of personnel in forward positions.

The military portal Militarnyi wrote that the transfers were sanctioned by the instructions of Syrskyi himself.

Two Ukrainian fighter pilots have publicly opposed the transfers. “Are we ready to just give them up? No, these are narrow-profile specialists,” wrote MiG-29 pilot Vadym “Karaya” Voroshylov on Instagram. He emphasized that finding replacements for highly qualified engineering and technical specialists would be extremely difficult.

Pilot Ivan “Smereka” Smerechanskyi highlighted the extensive training required: “Training a technician takes at least three years even in wartime,” he wrote on Instagram. “When you see our iron bird flying, shooting down enemy UAVs, destroying the enemy – this isn’t the work of just one pilot. It’s a system.”

The issue has forced responses from Ukraine’s top military and political leadership. The General Staff has promised not to transfer “critically scarce aviation engineering specialists,” specialists in high-tech positions, or those trained abroad on foreign weapons systems.

Acting Air Force Commander Anatoliy Kryvonozhko stated that while personnel transfers to ground units would continue in phases, it would not affect “scarce specialties and specialists involved in combat aviation tasks.”

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intervened directly, ordering the Air Force commander to explain the situation to the public and ensure that specialists needed for aviation, air defense, and mobile fire groups are not reduced.

According to military analysis portal DeepState, the problem is systematic and has been ongoing since mid-2023. The portal reports receiving about 100 similar cases from military personnel, indicating the transfers affect various specialized roles including maintenance, logistics, targeting specialists, mobile fire groups, repair technicians, specialized vehicle drivers, radio technical service specialists, and communications personnel. 

DeepState also highlighted concerns about the rapid “retraining” of Air Force and air defense personnel, with many receiving only 3-5 days of infantry training before reassignment. The effectiveness of such hastily retrained specialists in combat roles has been questioned by frontline units.

The controversy comes amid broader challenges in Ukraine’s mobilization efforts. As detailed in a recent Euromaidan Press analysis, Ukraine faces significant difficulties in recruiting infantry, with many potential recruits attempting to avoid military service or seeking non-combat positions.

The shortage of infantry personnel has led to the practice of pulling people from crucial support roles, creating a destructive cycle that undermines both combat and support capabilities.

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