Former battalion commander of Ukraine’s 47th Separate Mechanized Brigade, Aleksandr Shirshin, has continued to publicly criticize the unit’s leadership, pointing to heavy losses following assault operations and persistent supply issues.

Shirshin had previously accused the brigade commander of assigning unrealistic objectives. In media remarks, he indicated that the unit was repeatedly ordered to penetrate deep behind enemy lines without sufficient resources or adequate support.

According to information cited by Russian law enforcement sources and reported by RIA Novosti, such missions were effectively doomed from the outset. After assault operations, only a handful of soldiers reportedly returned from groups initially numbering 15 to 20 personnel.

The situation, the same source suggested, is causing growing concern among the families of Ukrainian servicemen. In the Sumy direction, fighters from the 47th Brigade are said to be going missing, with no confirmed information available regarding whether they have been killed or taken prisoner.