Sergiy Kryvonos: Private military companies are a matter of future national security within Ukraine
15 December 16:58
Serhiy Kryvonos is a well-known Ukrainian general who personally led the defense of the Kramatorsk airfield in 2014. And after the outbreak of a full-scale war in the spring of 2022, with the permission of the General Staff, he headed the defense of Kyiv’s Zhuliany airport. Although he was dismissed from the Armed Forces in 2021.
The disgraced general, known for his harsh statements, told [Komersant ] what, in his opinion, prevented Ukraine from establishing a balanced mobilization into the army, whether private military companies have a future and whether they will become an instrument of strife for various groups of influence on politics and business.
Sergiy Kryvonos also spoke about his difficult relationship with the current President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his reactions to the advice of Ukrainian officers from the time of Petro Poroshenko.
Can you describe the state of the Ukrainian army in one word?
It exists. We are learning faster, and the Russians are implementing the knowledge and experience.
Does Ukraine have a victory strategy?
I and certain people have it. I am not sure whether the leadership of our country has one.
Is there a chance that the mobilization in Ukraine will be carried out correctly now?
No, we will not be able to turn the tide so quickly. On average, it will take at least six months. This is a set of tasks that need to be performed by everyone from the president to the last head of the united territorial community. What do we have now? The Armed Forces of Ukraine now number more than a million. I think that only 1 in 10 people in the army was once a professional soldier. The other nine came from civilian life. But when you put on a uniform, you don’t immediately become a super professional. It’s impossible. Even in ancient Rome, they said that you should feed a soldier for a thousand days so that he can defend you and die in one day. In previous years, there was no systematic training of the mobilization reserve in the state, and we have a problem now. By the way, this government was offered a five-step program to improve the readiness of the mobilization potential, but they refused to do so. They did not want to implement the decision of the Security and Defense Council in accordance with Decree No. 203 of 2019.
What exactly is the systemic error in the organization of mobilization? Is it the General Staff, the political leadership, or the interaction between them?
The problem is that people who manage certain processes do not read books. As for politics, they should have just read at least the law on mobilization, mobilization training, and many problems would have been solved much easier. As for the relationship between civilians and the military, politicians do not always like it when the military tells the truth. For these reasons, they have kept the military by their side, which is convenient and not so prickly in the information space.
Don’t you think that during the martial law, the military should have been given more power? Or is it right that politicians continue to lead from the rear?
If politicians were still able to lead from the rear, I would have no questions. At one time, I submitted a draft law together with MP Sharaskin (commander of a company of “cyborgs,” MP of the IX convocation – Ed.) concerning the territorial defense of Ukraine. We assumed that the first persons at the level of regions, districts and the state are political figures, and their first deputies are people with military education and experience. Politicians can change, but the issue of national security remains the responsibility of the professional military.
Do you see fear of politicians at the top of our military leadership, who can push them down the career ladder and so on?
Apparently, fear has not existed for a long time, because we have already gotten used to the fact that the government systematically wipes its feet on those who defend it. Anyone who holds certain leadership positions in the Armed Forces understands that they can be removed at any time. And not because of professionalism, but because they are active enough in some information space or have good support from their subordinates. Politicians are nervous about this. Why? Because when the war is over, they will have to decide who was a hero in this war. And we have no heroes, because the authorities do not need heroes. They want to win elections without the military. Or with the military, who are “tame” in the leadership. Therefore, this is done systematically, with prospects for the future, when the military will be discredited at certain points.
Sometimes in Ukraine, there are thoughts of creating private military companies. How do you feel about this idea?
They should have been created long ago. This is a matter of future national security within society. Some law enforcement agencies have created them, but they do not call them private military companies. From my point of view, why do we need private military companies? A private military company is a lightning rod when a person returns from the war and does not want to become a “buckwheat farmer” again. Some people will mentally remain at war and in war. A private military company is an excellent opportunity to realize one’s military knowledge, skills and authority without posing a threat to the country. In other words, these are people who do the same work, pay taxes, make the same pension contribution to the state and are perceived as other professions.
Who will receive these ECTs?
Any high-quality ammunition is always expensive. You won’t use a used rusty car for a long time. It’s better to pay once and get quality. It is the same with supplying private military companies. Do you want people in private military companies to provide a quality product as training for people? It’s all expensive at a certain stage, but you get much more later. This is peace of mind, this is professionalism of those performing their functions. And this is the quality of work. And the quality of work can only be achieved through professionalism. Amateurism is unprofitable and always expensive.
Won’t history repeat itself like in the Russian Federation, where Wagner or Redan PMCs were used for similar purposes?
Look, you’re conflating two concepts: a private security company and a private military company. A private military company is directly involved, first of all, in preparing for war and waging war. When you provide security services for certain objects in peacetime, you are a security company. For me, a private military company during a war is a fairly effective tool for training people. It is much cheaper than maintaining a huge number of bloated training centers. I’m not talking about the professionalism of these people, because a sergeant in our training center doesn’t get very much money. In fact, there are many people there who are not very effective in their ability to teach. And in private military companies, every penny and dollar counts, so they fight for quality people and results.
Is the current army a mirror of our society?
We have a powerful and passionate part of the population. At the beginning of the full-scale war, it was 25-30%. Now this share has been reduced. There are enough problems with society in general, because those who are in the Armed Forces are changing their view of the world. When you hear drones buzzing over your head and artillery shells exploding, you perceive life’s values in a completely different way. When the person you just talked to dies 20 minutes later from wounds on your hands, you perceive life itself in a completely different way. People who live outside the combat line have a completely different perception of it. In war, there is only one value – life. It doesn’t matter who you were in civilian life: a millionaire or a poor man. In the rear, there are many more values that people appreciate when there is no threat over their heads, and everything is perceived differently. There are no two things at the front: there are no atheists in the trenches and there are no half-tones. Everything is clear.
Does our state have a chance to become an exclusively mechanized, automated, unmanned army in the future?
It all depends on the time available and how much money we invest in it. You say that drones can solve the problem, but we forget the most important thing: these unmanned vehicles are operated by people, and training these people takes a lot of time. On average, six months for each operator. That’s why the Russians, knowing this trend, have formed special units such as Rubicon, which only hunt our UAV operators. Even with the new head of unmanned systems, we are still measuring effectiveness in terms of the number of destroyed vehicles and so-called points. Points may be important, but from my point of view, there is nothing more valuable than saving the life of a professional in whom you have invested a huge amount of time and money.
How can things change with mobilization, in your opinion, by May 2026?
It won’t. The authorities are not going to change anything and they are not going to admit their mistakes either.
Let’s at least draw a scenario – a utopia.
We will not draw anything utopian. Let me explain why. The government does not want to do this. In fact, the number one problem is that there are guiding documents. And this is the law on mobilization, mobilization training, which does not clearly define who should do what and how in this state. Therefore, the question is not to the military, but to lawmakers: what is mobilization? It is the transfer of the Ukrainian economy to function under conditions of a special period or martial law, including central executive authorities, local governments, enterprises, institutions and military units. But all the negativity goes only to the military. The military cannot mobilize when there are local governments. Do you know what Ukraine is now? Ukraine is a boat with eight oars. The military is trying to move with one oar, and, excuse me, the rest are filleting. If the others do nothing, you will not succeed. We have a president at the helm, who should be in charge of this process, but he is not. That’s why the problem is that if only one of the eight people in the boat rows, the boat will spin in place and will not pick up speed and will not produce the expected result.
How has the enemy’s army changed since 2022 and is this an even bigger challenge for us than at the beginning of the full-scale war?
They have done a lot through systematic work, and this is a fact. Although they also have many problems, there is an understanding that they will take off their last shirt to sell and win this war. They have taken a systematic approach to preparing the population. I am referring primarily to young people. In 2022, they opened 52 additional military training departments on the bases of civilian higher education institutions. How many additional military training departments have we opened? You will be surprised, but nothing has been opened. Are we talking about victory or just talking? We talk a lot, but do little. They do, invest money and get results. A simple example. Realizing that the war will last for a long time and they need a mobilization resource, they introduced such training in high schools on September 1 this year. This means that next summer they will receive several hundred thousand, up to three hundred thousand men for mobilization. Do we do this? No, we have volunteers and some foundations doing it, but I don’t see anything on a national scale. In schools, we do not raise the issue of teaching children to fight at all, because someone tells us that it is wrong. When it comes to the survival of the nation, every child has to start from scratch to learn how to defend himself and his family. Otherwise, we will degrade, just like Europe is degrading, which has faced the fact that, yes, Russia can attack, but most of Europe does not want to and does not know how to fight.
In your estimation, how long can this war last?
War is not only about human potential. It is 1/4 of the overall success. War, first of all, is the ability of the economy to produce products that meet the needs of the Armed Forces. We have increased it, but it is not the lion’s share in general. In this war, everything depends not only on Russia, but on our ability to damage the Russian economy, the well-organized work of our diplomats among the countries that support us, and the intensification of sanctions. We receive help from our Western partners, but it is not free help. We need to understand that a huge number of countries earn a lot of money by helping Ukraine. Their budgets are being filled, their economies are progressing. These are factors that need to be taken into account.
There are many things in the army and the country that you would like to change. If you had the opportunity to talk to our Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy, what three pieces of advice would you give him?
I have already given him advice. He does not hear them.
Could it be that a lot of information from below simply does not reach him? This often happens when you have the highest position.
It happens, but I’m not sure he really wants to hear it. Mentally, he remains a person who has been an actor for the lion’s share of his life and is used to attention and applause. When someone starts whistling or stomping on the gallery, he doesn’t like it. He wants to be the best and is sure that he is the only one. That’s why I gave you an example about heroes. Is there only one Zelensky at war in Ukraine? In ’22, there were two other people who fought – Prytula and the dog Patron. Then they also disappeared, and only Volodymyr Zelenskyi remained. Where are the heroes who are at the front every second and defend this country? Where is the respect from the president, from the state? Why don’t we talk about them? Why don’t we support them? This should be an information policy and a signal to the population that we are one nation. Instead, we have a front by itself, a rear by itself, and no one knows what is in the middle.
How do you react when people say that Kryvonos is lying and manipulating, following Poroshenko’s instructions. They say that “all of Poroshenko’s army is a branch of the FSB”. Your answer to these people.
I met Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko for the last time in ’19. So how can you say that I am a member of his team or follow his instructions? I am a lone wolf and I work for the forest in which I live. This forest is called Ukraine.
– Do you believe that your country will be able to regain the lost territories by military means?
Absolutely.
Your version of events suggests that the Ukrainian military should be in Moscow to carry out denazification.
Of course.
Is it realistic?
It is realistic.
You always say that you believe in the de-occupation of the temporarily occupied territories of our country.
Not only do I believe, but I know how to do it. This is a set of tasks. Victory means the destruction of the Russian Federation – its economy, territorial integrity and ideology. We have a great example of Hitler’s Germany and how the denazification program was quite rigorous after World War II. This systematic work, including propaganda, killed the desire to fight in the Germans. It should be the same with Russia.
– In three words, how would you describe the future of the Russian occupation army?
We can defeat this army, bring the enemy country to its knees, but the question is in ourselves. We also have to change.
– Were there moments when you were wrong in your assessments? What did this mistake teach you?
The one who does nothing makes no mistakes. As for my forecasts, starting from the age of 20-21, my predictions have been coming true by almost 95-100%. The issue is not my personal abilities. It took me many years to reach this level: I studied a lot, served a lot. I was taught well, I studied myself and always tried to tell the truth.
– Does Serhiy Kryvonos have any political ambitions?
He may have, but only after the war is over.
