Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says issues raised during his meetings with soldiers who have battled on the front line will be considered by top Ukrainian military officials.
“It is crucial to support our warriors and talk directly [to them]. What they have told me will be on the staff’s agenda,” he said in an evening video on X, formerly Twitter, on September 4 after visiting troops in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions.
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Zelenskiy said it is useful and important to hear from soldiers who have been in battle about what is missing and what needs to be changed.
The presidential press service said earlier on September 4 that Zelenskiy listened to reports from combat brigade commanders about the operational situation at the front, the interaction between units, the troops' ability to carry out combat tasks, and the level of material and technical support.
Zelenskiy talked with commanders about several issues, including the growing need for drones and anti-drone equipment, insufficient staffing, and the lack of certain types of ammunition.
He posted a video of himself on social media meeting commanders and soldiers in an unnamed location in the Donetsk region, which has faced some of the fiercest fighting since Russia invaded last year.
The president and the commanders discussed the creation of an auxiliary brigade support system, which would take over managerial functions, freeing up commanders' time to focus on combat. The meetings also discussed ways to increase the motivation of soldiers, the press service said.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian military said earlier that its troops had successfully repelled attacks by Russian troops in the area north of Klishchiyivka, near Bakhmut, while the offensive in the Zaporizhzhya region continues.
Zelenskiy also visited stabilization points where medical aid is provided to soldiers who have been wounded and injured in the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya areas.
Zelenskiy announced on September 3 that he had made the decision to switch defense ministers to bring in "new approaches and other formats of interaction with both the military and society as a whole" after 550 days of war with Russia.
Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on September 4 submitted his resignation, paving the way for Rustem Umerov, a Ukrainian politician of Crimean Tatar origin, to take his place.
Umerov, 41, who is a deputy of the Holos (Voice) party, was appointed last year to head the country's State Property Fund.