Donetsk, May 11 - DAN. The Ukrainian armed forces have started to adapt their structure to NATO's standards, the DPR Operations Command deputy commander Eduard Basurin said.
"Our intelligence reports Ukrainian authorities attempting to cut down on army costs by shifting to NATO structure, with the focus on replacing commanding officers with sergeants," he said.
The Ukrainian ground forces are preparing a training for contractors with sergeant rank who will be appointed platoon commanders, who are currently supposed to have an officer rank.
"We are very excited to see how a sergeant will receive a three-day training to learn what officers are learning during four or five years in a military higher education institution," Basurin said.
He added that Ukrainian units at the military operation zone are 70 percent staffed, while rear units are 48 percent staffed at best. *ot