Over 2,000 Air Force Troops to Be Transferred to Infantry, Commission Formed to Prevent Loss of Specialists

More than 2,000 specialists from the Ukrainian Air Force could be reassigned to infantry and attack units, Ruslan Horbenko, a People’s Deputy from the “Servant of the People” party, said during an interview on the “Novyny.Life” TV channel on Thursday, Jan. 16.

However, these won’t be aircraft maintenance specialists, he added. Instead, servicemen from mobile firing groups trained to operate anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) weapons are the ones to be transferred to the Ground Forces.

The shift comes after the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, conducted the so-called audit of the troops and found that rifle battalions are only staffed at about 18-19%, while support units are much better stocked, up to 80-90%.

“To fix this, they’re moving people from the rear to combat positions,” Horbenko said.

“For the Air Force, that means about 2,000 troops could be reassigned. But don’t worry, these aren’t those who fix planes or fly them – it’s the teams that shoot down drones like Shaheds.”

The soldiers who are experienced handling 23 mm anti-aircraft guns defending civilian population centers will now be sent to the front to take on infantry and other combat roles.

“They’ll be doing the same kind of work they’ve been doing, just closer to the front line,” Horbenko added.

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On Tuesday, Jan. 14, a major controversy erupted over the reassignment of Air Force specialists to infantry roles, highlighted by Kyiv Post earlier.

 Vitaliy “Bart” Gorzhevsky, a non-commissioned officer (NCO) member of the 114th Air Force Brigade, posted a statement on Facebook on behalf of Air Force technical and service personnel. He detailed widespread cases of aviation specialists being reassigned to the infantry. The original post has since been removed without explanation.

“Our unit received a telegram ordering the transfer of nearly all technical staff to the infantry. This will leave us without the personnel needed to maintain our aircraft,” the statement reads.

Gorzhevsky revealed that 250 specialists have already been reassigned, and there are plans to transfer an additional 218.

In response to the controversy, the General Staff stated on Telegram that there were no plans to transfer essential Air Force aviation [maintenance] personnel—those who service and repair aircraft—to infantry roles.

However, they acknowledged that certain categories of Air Force personnel, along with those from other branches of the AFU, are being reassigned to strengthen the Ground Forces and Airborne Assault Forces.

On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Air Force announced the creation of a special commission to prevent the transfer of service members with critical specialties to other units of the Defense Forces.

The commission is focused on ensuring that military personnel serve in vital roles, such as those who operate and maintain aviation and anti-aircraft missile equipment, radio engineering troops, electronic warfare systems, and other essential specialties, are not reassigned.

This also applies to mobile firing group members and personnel trained abroad on Western weapons systems.

This clarification seems to mean that the Air Force will prevent personnel – whom Horbenko called “the teams that shoot down drones like Shaheds” – from being subject to interservice transfer and relocation to the front lines.

“Decisions have been made to stop the transfer of military personnel with deficient specialties to other branches of the Armed Forces,” the Air Force said in a statement. “The commission is currently investigating potential violations. If cases are identified, corrective measures will be taken.”

Additionally, hotlines and email services have been set up to allow affected personnel to report issues or seek assistance directly.

No public discussion was made about mobilization issues or other solutions to bring infantry brigades up to combat strength while retaining the specialized aviation maintenance personnel or experienced anti-aircraft artillery operators in these critical air defense functions.