The newly appointed commander of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Taras Maksimov, spoke with soldiers who held positions in the Kupyansk direction, remaining without food and water. The commander said that food parcels had been delivered to the soldiers and also urged the company commander not to be silent, not to hide anything, and to call him immediately about any problems. This is stated in the brigade's post on its Facebook page, UNN reports.
Details
"Today, the newly appointed brigade commander, Colonel Taras Maksimov, held an online conversation with soldiers in a difficult situation. The conversation was frank and sincere," the brigade reported.
During the conversation with the soldiers, Maksimov asked if the parcels had been delivered to the soldiers, as well as about their health.
"I saw the parcels, I saw the video, I saw the unboxing – just like those bloggers. Well done," Maksimov said.
The soldiers said that the parcels contained everything they needed, and when asked what else they needed, they replied: "A little more time to fatten up."
"You see the weather conditions... as they say – if there is such rain-snow, then we will do a rotation – right? – with you. Now, I think, everything will work out. With your help. We will straighten out this whole situation, make replacements, at least, we will try so that... the most important thing, first of all, is life. You know me. It won't be just like that anymore. That is, be careful there, I draw attention – protective equipment – going out for parcels, going out for some action – protective equipment is mandatory. Well, and the rest we will overcome together," Maksimov added in a conversation with the soldiers.
Maksimov also urged the company commander "not to be silent, not to hide anything," and to call him immediately about any problems.
"Immediately – do you have my phone? – immediately directly to me, if there are any problems," the commander added.
Addition
Recently, a post was circulated online with soldiers of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, which claimed that soldiers of the 2nd mechanized battalion of the 14th OMBR, which was seconded to the 30th OMBR, were without food and water.
"The guys are in positions without food and water. The command does not react. Soldiers lose consciousness from hunger, drink rainwater," the message said, which also showed photos of exhausted soldiers.
In the comments under the post, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reacted to the situation: "The relevant commanders have paid attention to this situation. The commander of the 14th brigade has taken this issue under control. Despite complicated logistics, they are trying to resolve the issue of providing the guys and their replacement. Such situations should not happen, but the situation in different sectors of the front can be quite critical. The command of the brigade and the corps is in contact with relatives."
Today, April 24, it became known that after public disclosure of problems with supplies in the zone of the 14th OMBR and the publication of photos of soldiers exhausted by hunger, the command of the Joint Forces Group immediately began an inspection of the entire vertical of command of the 10th Corps. Additional resources were immediately allocated to support the units.
The General Staff changed the leadership of the 14th OMBR and the 10th Corps due to concealment of the real state of affairs.
As a result of personnel decisions, the brigade commander was removed, and the commander of the 10th Corps was demoted. Colonel Taras Maksimov was appointed the new commander of the 14th OMBR, and Brigadier General Artem Bogomolov headed the corps.
A service investigation is underway, the materials of which will be handed over to law enforcement agencies. By order of the Commander-in-Chief, the provision of units at the front line is also being checked.
The new command, according to the General Staff, is already taking measures to stabilize the situation – food has been delivered to positions, and evacuation of military personnel is planned under favorable conditions.