Ukraine will introduce a ranking of commanders: who needs to evaluate the Armed Forces of Ukraine fighters and why?

The Ministry of Defense is launching a digital rating of combat effectiveness for commanders. According to Deputy Minister Yekaterina Chernogorenko, commanders will submit reports on enemy defeats through "Army+".

She noted that this can be done in just a few minutes. Additionally, a confirmation from the combat system DELTA will be attached to the report. As a result, all data will be sent to the General Staff.

"This will allow us to create a large, unified dashboard of enemy destruction, which will help analyze the effectiveness of units and the military as a whole," — emphasized Yekaterina Chernogorenko.

The Deputy Minister also stated that these reports will assess not only the effectiveness of the military but also the equipment and ammunition, providing insight into what weapons need to be produced and where to prioritize deliveries.

"This is a revolution and a push for significant changes in the army, where decisions will be made based on data-driven principles, rather than instinct," — she noted.

Chernogorenko explained that previously reports were submitted in paper form, making it difficult to verify the information. Now, they can be verified through DELTA with photos, videos, and coordinates. Consequently, this information will provide a real picture of what is happening on the battlefield. She emphasized that it won’t be possible to fabricate data, as confirmations are required.

Combat Effectiveness Rating of Commanders: What the Army Thinks

Ukrainian serviceman Daniil Yakovlev pointed out that this innovation should be referred to not as a rating, but as an "objective system for assessing unit activity."

When asked whether the combat effectiveness rating of commanders will reflect the real productivity of the military, rather than just someone enhancing their achievements, Yakovlev noted that the reporting system currently exists mostly in paper form, allowing for such instances. However, thanks to the rating, clear assessment criteria will be established for analysis. This is primarily necessary to understand the problems, feedback, and suggestions from units, allowing for prompt responses. As a result, units will submit reports digitally, making it difficult to lie or misrepresent information.

"This evaluation system will be more objective. We will be able to more accurately identify who is doing things right and who is not," — explained the soldier.

According to him, it is important to recognize that a unit showing low results for a month is not necessarily a poor one. Military personnel may have been reassigned to a front section where active combat is not occurring, thus objectively, they cannot achieve high results.

"Any program created to analyze the conduct of combat operations by units is very positive," — concluded Yakovlev.

Press officer of the 3rd Assault Brigade Alexander Borodin believes that a combat effectiveness rating for commanders is necessary.

He stated that with a system that clearly defines KPIs at all management levels and for all performers, it would become "an adequate solution" that would motivate.

"If this rating reflects the real picture on the battlefield, then I agree with it; if not — then what is the point for commanders? We need to raise this question as well. Right now, I see that some brigade commanders are hiding the state of affairs, and what rating will they receive, a zero?" — noted "Muchnoi."

The soldier is convinced that if the combat effectiveness rating of commanders truly reflects productivity, then people will start to understand where the problems lie, where soldiers need help, as there are brigades that "are not in the spotlight but are doing incredible things." In his opinion, this should be reported to commanders in a digital format.

"If these are raw reports just to curry favor, then we, the soldiers, will definitely see that the rating does not correspond to the actual successes," — explained "Muchnoi."

He noted that the rating does not influence efficiency on the front. Instead, only the state of the individual, their motivation, belief in victory, and camaraderie matter. However, if there is no moral support in the brigade and commanders do not listen to their soldiers, then there will be no rating or effectiveness, added the serviceman.

Commander Ratings: Why This Will Change Nothing in the Army

Meanwhile, the chief of staff of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard, Bohdan Krotevych, noted that in pursuit of results, commanders may conduct "inadequate operations at the expense of personnel lives." Moreover, he believes that this rating is "pointless" since "there will be no disclosure of losses of their personnel."

According to Krotevych, various units already embellish their achievements and lie about losses of positions due to "statistics," where one grouping cannot have more lost positions than a neighboring one.

"Honestly, I look at all this and regret having lived to see this time. An unreal number of people are completely detached from reality; ratings make me want to scream. You have no idea what an army is," — emphasized the military.

In turn, a serviceman with the call sign "Ten" proposed to launch a digital rating for officials to monitor their effectiveness.

"Right now, the entire front relies solely on capable commanders who accomplish tasks with limited resources. The effectiveness of these commanders includes not only defeating the enemy but also preserving personnel, positions, weaponry, and military equipment. Of course, there are also idiots who will sacrifice our guys' lives for the sake of meaningless ratings," — he stated.

Recall that on January 2, Deputy Minister of Defense, Brigadier General of Justice Serhiy Melnyk reported that the "Army+" application is constantly being updated. In particular, now defenders can not only submit requests for transfer to another unit online but also book train tickets from the special reserve.

On December 11, Deputy Minister of Defense Yekaterina Chernogorenko noted that requests for transfer to another unit through "Army+" can be denied due to missing necessary data. Additionally, requests can be rejected due to non-compliance with the scenarios.