He reported this during his evening address.
According to Zelensky, he had a separate conversation with the commander of the Air Force regarding the outrage and discussions about transfers.
“I instructed to clarify everything to the public and not to reduce the number of specialists needed by the Air Force to perform combat tasks — our aviation, air defense, and mobile fire groups,” Zelensky stated.
On December 14, military personnel announced the transfer of specialists from the Air Force to units of other branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the infantry. They noted the risks of servicing aircraft due to this decision, which subsequently led to issues with the combat readiness of aviation brigades.
Members of parliament claimed that this was allegedly an order from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
However, the command assured that the critical specialists remain in their positions, and only certain categories of personnel are being reassigned to reinforce other branches of the Armed Forces.
In early November 2024, parliament member Marianna Bezuhla already stated that air defense personnel were being transferred to the infantry. According to her, this led to the fact that “the ‘Shahed’ drones became harder to shoot down.”
At that time, the head of the public relations service of the Air Force Command of Ukraine, Yurii Ihnat, confirmed that fighters are being transferred “not during good times”: “… And it’s a lot, and it’s very painful for the Armed Forces, these directions. And of course, it affects the overall situation in a certain way. But there are appropriate decisions that must be implemented, and you understand why.”
By the end of December, the Guardian reported that the General Staff allegedly orders Ukrainian air defense units to transfer their personnel to the infantry due to a shortage of personnel. This, they claimed, threatens the functioning of air defense. The General Staff denied this.