Biletskyi Turned Down Offer to Command Ukraine's Ground Forces

Andriy Biletskyi, commander of Ukraine's Third Army Corps, said he refused an offer to become commander of the Ground Forces, because he believes he is more effective in direct command. He told journalists about it on Monday, Oct. 19.

"Yes, I was offered command of the Ground Forces to reform them," he said. According to him, the post has two key tasks: combat training and mobilisation. He said he believes combat training can be reformed, and that in the fifth year of the war mobilisation can be improved and excesses eliminated. "But it cannot be replaced, and that is the key task for the Ground Forces," he said. "There is no point in taking on something you do not truly believe you can improve."

Biletskyi called the Ground Forces commander's job probably the hardest in the entire Armed Forces. He said he never envied either the current or the previous commander and sincerely wished them good results, but did not see himself in the post.

Biletskyi was speaking at a meeting in which he also described Operation Vivaldi on the Lyman axis. More on the war is in our World section.