Criticized widely by soldiers and experts for a “wasteful” use of specialist troops that have spent years honing their skills, the short-term solution has frequently led to their death or injury, according to soldiers interviewed by the Kyiv Independent over 2024. Ukraine has been struggling with a manpower shortage — especially in the infantry — while Russia has intensified its offensive in Donetsk Oblast since the summer of 2024.The issue of sending specialist troops to infantry units had largely been hidden in the shadows until a video surfaced online on Jan. 14, prompting responses from President Volodymyr Zelensky, and the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces.'A real challenge'In the almost three-minute-long video, around a dozen Ukrainian servicemen from the Air Force stand, as one reads aloud a message about what they describe as “a real challenge” that could “destroy the very foundation of our aviation.