National Guard of Ukraine (NGU) Commander Major General Oleksandr Pivnenko has said that a year after the implementation of the reform in the army, people will have a rethinking of the vision of military service, while demobilization is very important but possible only under certain conditions.
In an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency, when asked to assess the large-scale army reform announced by the Ministry of Defense, Pivnenko noted that the financial support of soldiers is particularly important for him.
"This is what we talk about at working meetings. A person should not receive UAH 20,000 now; it should be an amount of $1,500, which a serviceman of NATO countries who has just entered the service has. The question is that we spend a lot of money on equipment, and we need to find funds somewhere for a decent salary for the military. I am sure that this issue is being resolved at a serious state level and there will be a result," the major general said.
Speaking about whether at the current stage of the war improving the attitude toward soldiers and increasing the financial support of the military will motivate more people to serve, Pivnenko expressed the opinion that this is possible.
"Over time, it is possible. I admit that in a year, under normal conditions and with a normal approach, a rethinking of the vision of service will come," the NGU commander said.
However, he noted that there are people who do not want to fight at all, and there are those who are simply afraid because they think they will be immediately taken to an assault unit and die.
"But the division into those who want to fight and those who do not want to fight does not work – either we all defend our country, or we all lose the war. And the enemy will not choose whether you fought or not: traitors are not liked anywhere. And those who remained in Crimea know this. Unfortunately, we went not quite the right way in matters of mobilization, but we will solve this," he noted.
Pivnenko also assessed the possibility of demobilization and what it will depend on.
"If there is a ceasefire along the line of combat contact today, then demobilization will start in a year. Those people who were drafted into service in 2022 will be the first, then, after a certain time, somewhere in half a year, those who came to serve in 2023 will leave. And if we demobilize 700,000-800,000 at once – then who will remain in positions? Plus, there are conditions of new contracts and partial discharge of servicemen under these conditions. Demobilization is an important story, but under certain conditions," the NGU commander stated.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on June 12 announced the start of the first stage of the army reform. It includes, in particular, new contracts, increased payments, and gradual discharge from service.
