“Fatigue is a bad fighter”: a commander about the threatening wear and tear of his unit

“A week ago, I submitted a report to the brigade commander that the unit needed to be withdrawn from the combat zone, re-staffed and rested. I have information that my report has already been sent to the higher command. I am waiting to see what decision will be made regarding our battalion. The worst thing would be if we are disbanded due to significant understaffing,” says the commander.

We agreed with Lieutenant Colonel Yurin that he would speak with us as frankly as possible, because otherwise this conversation would make little sense. The soldier told us about the fatigue of the personnel, the lack of fighters and the emotional tension that often ends in AWOL, but he also mentioned the dangers of a full rotation that could lead to the exposure of the frontline.

Average age of the fighters is 50+

On February 28, 2022, the seventh battalion of the 65th Brigade was formed in the Ivano-Frankivsk Territorial Recruitment Center. A month and a half later, the unit was deployed to the front line in the Kharkiv region. Since then, it has been fighting continuously. In April 2023, the battalion took up combat positions near Lyman, and it has been holding this area ever since.

The average age of my fighters is 50 years and more. The oldest is already 59. These are patriotic men who came to their Territorial Recruitment Centers at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the first wave of volunteers.Oleksandr Yurin, Lieutenant Colonel

The battalion commander notes: “Some of them came to us after other units were disbanded — these fighters are also mostly over 50. At this age, the reaction is already slowing down, and there are questions about their physical condition. One has varicose veins, another has kidney problems, the third has spinal problems, the fourth has heart problems. This becomes apparent when you have to move to a position 4-5 kilometers away, and carry ammunition and water for many days. However, the guys are reliable and understand their duty.”

Yurin is now the same age as many of his subordinates, having celebrated his 50th birthday last November. “The situation is now such that every person in the unit is important, whether they are 50 or 59,” says the lieutenant colonel.

Nevertheless, as a career military officer, he counts his years as “two for one”. Back in the USSR, Yurin graduated from the Lviv Military and Political School and became a political officer, then moved to a command position.

He retired in 2010 but returned to the army in 2014. He served for four years and resigned for health reasons. In February 2022, he rejoined the Armed Forces of Ukraine: first he served in the Territorial Recruitment Office, in April 2023 he became the Chief of Staff of the 7th Battalion of the 65th Brigade, and four months later he became its commander.

Dismissals and losses

Our legislation allows servicemen to leave the army for family reasons. For example, if a wife or parents need care due to illness. According to the commander, since April 2023 alone, approximately 160 soldiers have left his unit for family reasons.

The lieutenant colonel admits that in his battalion such reasons are usually genuine: “It's a lot. But if a person is over 50, it is obvious that his parents are old and sick.”

During this time, the 7th Rifle Battalion received only 40 soldiers to replenish it — four times less than the number of those dismissed. And then there are the combat losses.

As for the current situation, over the past month and a half, we have 10-15% of irrecoverable losses on the contact line. About half of them are wounded, and another 7-8% are missing. We are now short of more than 50% of our personnel. I would call this situation critical.Oleksandr Yurin, Lieutenant Colonel

The commander notes: “According to the level of staffing, each unit can be ready to work in the combat zone, partially ready or not ready. My battalion has the level of staffing that allows us to withdraw from the combat zone. I am not talking about the level of fatigue of the soldiers. It is very high, because since April 2022, the battalion has never been on rotation.”

Disbanding units because they are understaffed is a common practice in the army. But its commander does not want to talk about the prospect of disbanding the 7th battalion.

“We do not need to be disbanded, our battalion is a combat unit. It needs to be taken on rotation, given some rest, manned up to the proper level, and then sent back to the front. Guys like mine should not be thrown away,” says the commander.

I have very experienced guys. The least combat experience in the unit is one year of combat. Can you imagine what these Cossacks are like? They are capable of very serious combat missions. They can easily and quickly teach newcomers how to fight.Oleksandr Yurin, Lieutenant Colonel

“If there is no rotation give us a replenishment”

When it comes to the lack of rotation, the easiest thing to suspect is malicious intent on the part of the higher command. They say that someone has a grudge against a particular unit. However, in reality, each unit must hold a clearly defined section of the front. If it goes to the rear, someone has to replace it. And this replacement has to be trained, says Commander Yurin.

“I understand that a proper unit that can conduct combat operations in a quality manner must be a replacement. If a combat unit is replaced by another combat unit, it is one thing. But if a combat unit is replaced by guys right after the training center, it can be a big problem.

If there is no experienced replacement that has been under fire, then the battalions on the front line need to be properly replenished. This would allow for the rotation of fighters within the unit.”

It should be like this: some are on combat duty; others are preparing for their turn; others are resting and healing; and others are undergoing combat training. And you also need to have someone to back you up in case of force majeure.Oleksandr Yurin, Lieutenant Colonel

“There were times when my guys changed every three days, and every six days, and sometimes they were on the position for nine days. But after nine days, they couldn't rest for even a week, because they had to go back to work.

I now have two companies in different positions: one is on duty every five days, the other every two days. And this is with a good schedule, if there are no losses. If there are casualties, the workload will increase, and the guys will have no time to rest or train. I have to involve guys from the battalion's rear units in combat missions anyway, because there is no one else to fight,” the commander complains.

For soldiers who fight without rotations, a vacation becomes their most cherished dream. Oleksandr Yurin himself has been on vacation only once - last year, on his birthday. According to him, since February 2022, almost every soldier in the battalion has been on vacation once. Some for 5, some for 10, and some for 15 days, depending on family circumstances and the situation at the front.

About 60 percent of the personnel last exercised their right to go home in 2022. In fact, the battalion carefully draws up vacation schedules — only the Russians do not allow to stick to them. The commander explains strictly: “The size of the unit does not allow us to perform tasks on the contact line if these people go on vacation.”

At the same time, the lieutenant colonel admits that even during intense combat operations, it is possible and necessary to send a person on leave who needs it. Now four soldiers from the battalion are at home.

“Once you cool off, take your position”

When returning from the rear to the front, some fighters have a heightened sense of injustice: after a week of relatively peaceful life, war tempts them to return to it. “Sometimes, after the vacation, someone starts looking for some ‘way out’, goes to the hospital or something. But for the most part, my soldiers understand that they have to defend their homeland. Plus, this is still a combat family. That's why they get angry, cool off, and then go to the position and fight again like tigers,” says Oleksandr Yurin.

During their vacations, the guys go home to different places like Bukovel and other recreation areas. Those vacationers who avoid the army add to their psychological trauma. Some are just having a rest, while the guys have been in combat for three years.Oleksandr Yurin, Lieutenant Colonel

Subordinates often raise the issue of rotation. The commander has to explain to them over and over again that he knocks on all the doors of his superiors, but to no avail. He says that they all have to carry out a combat mission together until the command makes a decision regarding their battalion. Because what else can be said?

“Spending the third year on the front line is psychologically difficult. The first problem is fear. When you are under fire for many days, have 2-3 days to rest, and then go under fire again, it is difficult. Some people overcome fear on their own, others cannot.

There are no deserters in the battalion. However, there are cases of AWOL. The guys are depressed by uncertainty. If only we knew how long we would be on the front line, when we would be rotated and on vacation... But we do not know. No one in the Armed Forces, by and large, knows this,” the commander says.

The 7th Rifle Battalion does not have a psychologist, and the companies also have vacant positions. The commander has a deputy for moral and psychological support, but there are vacancies for such specialists at the company level. In the meantime, the battalion is cooperating with psychologists from the 66th Brigade, to which it is attached. According to the commander, brigade psychologists are good specialists, and their work yields tangible results. However, it is often short-term.

“The brigade psychologists are in need of psychological support themselves because of the frequent communication with my guys,” the commander jokes bitterly.

The lieutenant colonel says that he tries to tame all his negative emotions and burn them inside. Sometimes he will shout or curse, but he continues to work because he has to keep himself in check and not let his guard down.

For the first time since 2022, I went to a psychologist a few days ago. I went on my own, without a call. To find out if I still have the resources to endure this situation. Because I am only human too.Oleksandr Yurin, Lieutenant Colonel

The lieutenant colonel himself said: “I passed the tests — drawings, pictures of various kinds, answered the questions. The psychologist said that I still have a reserve of stress resistance.”

This stress resistance is very useful for him, because the situation at the front is difficult. According to Oleksandr Yurin, he does not see any possibility of rotating his battalion yet. The rotation, followed by training at a training ground and manning and coordination activities, can take 4-6 months. Too long for the current challenges.

“Our 65th Brigade is fighting near Robotyne — it needs replenishment, but it is not being sent for rotation. The 66th Brigade we have been fighting with for a long time in the Lyman sector also needs people. So, there are certain issues with the Ukrainian Armed Forces command that we are not yet aware of at our level.

But spending the third year without rotations is also a problem. That's why I wrote a report to the command. The battalion must be in such shape to fight without losses — and to fight successfully. Fatigue is a bad fighter,” summarizes Commander Yurin.