Former Commander of the 47th Brigade Magura, Oleksandr Shyrshin, Reveals Details of Operations That Led to His Criticism of Command

In a revealing interview, Oleksandr Shyrshin, the former commander of the 47th Brigade Magura, discussed the military operations that led him to publicly criticize the command structure. Speaking with Radio Liberty journalist Vlada Lazur, Shyrshin recounted events from the spring of 2025 when Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city of Sudzha in the Kursk region while attempting to halt the advance of the Russian army into Ukraine.

Shyrshin highlighted the challenges faced during these operations, stating, "We were working with the 425th regiment, whose task was to storm one settlement and then the next. They sent, if I’m not mistaken, four squads, about 20 people. This is a small group to storm a settlement that housed at least a battalion. Moreover, this was an incursion beyond the contact line by about five kilometers. You need to organize medical support, rotation, and replacements... Many planned aspects were impossible to execute for the task we were given," he emphasized.

He further noted that Ukrainian soldiers were entering the field without adequate preparation and support. "People were just entering the field, moving randomly. They went in once, they weren’t noticed; they went in a second time — still unnoticed. On the third attempt, it became known, and the routes were blocked. Our people were there; I wrote, formally addressed the issue, saying that we needed to take certain measures, expand corridors, or create a safe passage," he added.

When questioned about the withdrawal from positions, Shyrshin revealed that he was denied this request. "We began to suffer losses. Constant attacks were coming from all sides, and we could not replace personnel or provide medical assistance. And when I said that people needed to be withdrawn, they would die. I was shouted at that the general said it was not possible, and we continued," he noted.

Ultimately, despite orders to continue the operation, Shyrshin attempted to plan a withdrawal and extract his men from their positions but was unable to execute this plan in time. On May 17, he submitted a report to the command regarding the "stupid tasks" that led to personnel losses and expressed hope for his resignation, likely alluding to the casualties on the Kursk front.

Following his report, representatives of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced the formation of a working group to analyze the accusations made by the commander. They stated that they would thoroughly examine the orders and directives received by the unit from various levels of military management regarding the appropriateness of decisions made in combat conditions.

Shyrshin's position was supported by the Third Assault Brigade. Later, the commander of the 2nd Corps of the National Guard, Hartyia Ihor Obolensky, assured that the higher command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is capable of listening to commanders on the ground and making balanced decisions in favor of the personnel.

On June 16, Commander Shyrshin received the findings of the working group, which concluded that "Captain Shyrshin was found to be undisciplined, resulting in the dissemination of official information on social media, and deserves a reprimand." On June 20, he reiterated that the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was slow to respond to the issues he raised, particularly concerning the unjustified losses of Ukrainian soldiers during the Kursk operation.

"I expected a normal, constructive conversation from the General Staff and higher leadership. There were people who reached out, were ready, and wanted to resolve the issue — and it is actually very systemic, very widespread in the Armed Forces. And someone continues to deal with this. But overall, there is an impression: those who should do this and to whom it was addressed, considering the results of the inspection I wrote about, do not really want to resolve it," he stressed.

On July 3, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that Shyrshin, who submitted a resignation report in May in protest against the "incompetent decisions of the command in Kursk," would be transferred to a position of his choice. On August 14, Shyrshin confirmed that he had left the position of commander, stating: "Officially no longer a commander. It was time to leave my battalion. My fighters, with whom we went through a difficult path, with whom we 'grew' and learned to fight," he wrote on Facebook.