Commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces: Six-month-old tactics no longer work on battlefield

Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Hennadii Shapovalov, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“There are directions where we managed to change the situation thanks to new approaches and technologies. This includes the extensive use of various types of unmanned systems. I would also highlight the use of fiber-optic-guided drones, which are extremely difficult for the enemy to counter,” Shapovalov said.

According to him, modern electronic warfare (EW) and electronic intelligence tools, which have advanced significantly in recent months, also play a crucial role. Their combined use by Ukraine’s Defense Forces forced the enemy to lose momentum and change plans and tasks even in the middle of operations. This gave Ukrainian defenders the ability to carry out missions more effectively, hold or improve positions, reduce losses, and increase the efficiency of strikes against the enemy.

The commander emphasized that solutions that worked half a year ago are no longer viable on today’s battlefield.

“We have become fully convinced that there is practically no place for ‘yesterday’s’ decisions on the battlefield. What worked six months ago often no longer works now. The speed of decision-making has become the key factor. We operate in conditions where there is simply no time to think things through. You must react instantly – sometimes  relying on experience, sometimes on intuition or instinct – because you don’t always have a complete picture for a perfectly balanced assessment of the situation and all the risks,” Shapovalov noted.

He added that both commanders and ordinary soldiers must make prompt decisions. This is extremely difficult and always involves risks, as the enemy is also learning and adapting.

The commander reminded that Ukraine is fighting a regular enemy army with greater resources, mobilization capacity, and a broader material base.

“Therefore, I can conclude that we constantly have to look for asymmetric solutions that allow us to offset the enemy’s numerical and resource advantage,” he said.

As reported by Ukrinform, on June 16, President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed Hennadii Shapovalov as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.