Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine, which lasted more than a year, has turned into a positional war in which the front hardly moves.
A high-ranking Finnish officer interviewed by in Ukraine estimates that the Ukrainian armed forces do not have enough expertise for mobile warfare.
Major General evp. Pekka Toverin In his opinion, liberating the territories occupied by Russia has required expertise from Ukraine, but he admits that Ukraine still has a lot to learn in mobile warfare.
– I’ve been wondering why some places in Bahmut are stubbornly holding on to stations, because the importance of the city is quite small, says Toveri.
The explanation may be that Ukrainians do what they know how to do. We will stay in the positional war if it works for both sides.
– I have not seen that in Ukraine there is an operational command ladder at the level of the army corps, which is suitable for mobile warfare. It is much more difficult than being in a static position, Toveri says.
Toveri is the former intelligence chief of the General Staff and now the parliamentary election candidate of the coalition.
Kaihkö: Ukraine lacks evidence of the attack
Also docent of military sciences Ilmari Käihkö says Ukraine has not proven its capability for mobile warfare. According to him, Ukraine’s victories have mainly come in situations where Russian troops have retreated.
– Now we are in a consumer war. Business war is the only way to make quick profits. Moving is the only way to solve the situation, says Käihkö.
Käihkö works as a visiting researcher at the Aleksanteri Institute of the University of Helsinki.
If neither can take the initiative, the brutal war continues without a solution. According to Käihkö, the result is a “bloody stalemate.”
– If you don’t have the ability to conduct business warfare, the war will drag on, and then you have to ask whose side time is on, says Käihkö.
A commander does not attempt what the troops cannot do
Sticking to the current front line will be expensive in the long run, but maybe there are no alternatives.
According to the comrade, it’s also a skill that commanders don’t try something that the troops can’t do.
– If you state that it is pointless for these (soldiers) to engage in mobile warfare because they drown in the forest or do not know how to coordinate the use of fire, then we will fight in the way that this force is capable of fighting, Toveri says.
According to the comrade, Russia does not know how to conduct mobile warfare either, and the training level of the Russian armed forces is poor anyway, so the problems do not concern only Ukraine.
Comrade: Ukraine’s fighting ability is somewhere between a gloomy and smoothed media image
According to the Finnish officer interviewed by in Kyiv, the problems are caused by the poor training and management of the Ukrainian armed forces.
Comrade does not believe that Ukraine’s fighting ability is as bad as the officer suggests.
– Maybe Ukraine’s real fighting ability is somewhere between this rather gloomy assessment and the smoothed image you get from the media when you look at the social media content of Ukrainians, Toveri says.
Comrade reminds that there are multi-level forces in the armed forces of Ukraine.
– The Ukrainians themselves have complained that there are quickly established regional defense forces with a poor level of training and who will suffer a lot of losses because the people don’t know how to do it, says Toveri.
However, he adds that, on the other hand, NATO has been training Ukrainian soldiers for years, and the country also has troops with long combat experience.
– Similarly, the abilities of the officers vary. Senior officers have received old Soviet training, which is not terribly good. Some of the younger officers have already received NATO training, says Toveri.
Käihkö points out that in terms of education, Finland certainly has something to offer, but so does Ukraine. Both have their own ways, although the officer interviewed by considers Finnish education to be the best.
– I would be a little more humble in that the Ukrainians also have something to teach us. However, they have fresh combat experience against Russia, says Käihkö.
Finnish military trainers already have their hands full
In Tover’s opinion, Finland has something to offer Ukraine in terms of education, but in practice there are no resources for that. According to the comrade, the strength of the defense forces has been squeezed so small.
– All of our training force is focused on conscript and reservist training, and hundreds of trainers will not be released from there, because otherwise our own defense would suffer, says Toveri.
Toveri praises the training skills of the Finnish reserve, but according to him, not many trainers go abroad from there either.
– They are also involved in supporting the defense forces in reservist training, says Toveri.
In Käihkö’s opinion, talent can be found if there is political will.
– Education is a question of prioritization. What do we want to invest in? This is a pretty cheap way to try to get results in Ukraine, says Käihkö.
You can discuss the topic until Wednesday 1.3. until 11 p.m.