“We lost more people because of the command than because of Russia”: U.S. mercenary criticized the leadership of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

American volunteer Ryan O’Leary, commander of the Chosen Company within Ukraine’s 59th Separate Assault Brigade of Unmanned Systems, has criticized the Ukrainian military leadership and announced the dissolution of his unit.

He shared this in his social media posts.

Back in late May, O’Leary wrote that Chosen Company was “ceasing its activities and moving toward separation from the Ukrainian army.” At the time, he promised to explain the reasons for this decision after terminating his contract, when he would be able to speak freely.

Today, he published a post criticizing the Ukrainian officer corps.

“As a soldier since February 2022, I claim that we’ve lost more people due to poor leadership and Soviet-style thinking than from direct Russian actions. The Ukrainian officer corps operates like a caste system of untouchables or military princes. This system allows incompetent officers not only to avoid accountability but to get promoted or reassigned just to avoid paperwork — or to spare brigade or battalion commanders from having to demote their friends or deal with the consequences. This culture of nepotism has a direct impact on the situation at the front line,” O’Leary wrote.

He also mentioned the recent dismissal of Bohdan Shevchuk, commander of the 59th Brigade’s drone systems.

“In his first two months in command, he sent intelligence officers on assault missions, which led to deaths and serious injuries among personnel who had no role in combat operations. This not only damaged morale but also impaired the unit’s effectiveness. He sent soldiers to unattainable positions with no hope of reinforcement or even survival. It took more than 16 months to remove him from command — 16 months of decisions that cost dozens, perhaps hundreds, of lives,” the fighter noted.