General Staff denies reports of air defense troops being reassigned to infantry

This was stated by Major Andrii Kovaliov, spokesperson for the General Staff, in a comment to Ukrinform.

“Media outlets have circulated reports alleging that air defense personnel from the Ukrainian Ground Forces are being transferred to infantry units. This information is not accurate,” he said.

Kovaliov explained that, in order to properly reinforce military units requiring combat readiness restoration, service members from air defense units whose military occupational specialties are not critical to their unit’s operational capability have been reassigned to other roles in line with their qualifications.

He emphasized that this does not apply to highly specialized air defense experts who are responsible for protecting Ukraine’s skies.

“All narrow-profile air defense specialists—those serving in high-tech roles, including experts in automated control systems, computing technology, UAVs, drone interceptors, and those trained abroad on foreign weapons and military equipment provided by partner countries—remain in their positions and continue to carry out their assigned duties,” the spokesperson stressed.

Additionally, he noted that new air defense units are currently being formed to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses. These units are staffed by personnel who have undergone retraining and acquired the necessary skills to operate modern air defense systems.

“In fact, we’re often seeing the opposite: transfers from so-called infantry roles, such as riflemen, to positions like UAV and drone interceptor pilots. This will allow for more effective protection of Ukraine’s airspace and better defense of our cities,” Kovaliov added.

Earlier, civic activist Serhiy Sternenko claimed on Facebook that air defense specialists, including drone interceptor operators, were being reassigned to infantry roles.