Serhiy Kryvonos, Major General (Reserve) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: NATO is still preparing for past wars, not for modern warfare
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): EUROPESAYS
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/10/27
Serhiy Kryvonos is a Ukrainian major general (reserve) and former deputy secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. He played a role in the development of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces and the creation of their training infrastructure. He serves as vice president of the International Academy of Civil Security and Cooperation, where he is responsible for liaising with security forces.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen spoke with Serhiy Kryvonos about Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces, priorities in target selection, military training during wartime, and technological changes. Kryvonos emphasizes that NATO must adapt more quickly to modern conditions of warfare; discusses the use of drones and artificial intelligence, underscores the importance of human judgment and personnel preservation, and assesses the significant losses suffered by Russian special forces during the invasion.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Ukraine’s special operations forces are conducting defensive operations against Russian aggression and offensive operations to retake territory. How do the strategic requirements for these two types of missions differ?
Serhiy Kryvonos: It depends on which force group we are supporting. Special operations forces do not operate independently. They operate within the framework of the overall plan for a specific offensive or defensive operation.
Jacobsen: When Ukraine strikes military targets on Russian territory, how are the targets identified that are most critical to Ukraine’s war effort?
Kryvonos: We analyze which targets on enemy territory are critical to the enemy.
I believe that modern warfare is, first and foremost, about the economy. Weakening the Russian economy’s ability to function and sustain its war effort benefits Ukraine.
Jacobsen: How does the training of Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces during active warfare differ from the training of military personnel in European and North American countries?
Kryvonos: Ukraine has accumulated twelve years of combat experience. Therefore, our training system differs from that used by European countries.
Basic training takes place at the Special Operations Forces Training Center in Berdychiv. After completing the qualification course, service members undergo further training according to their specializations.
Foreign instructors often learn more from our military personnel than they can teach them.
In my opinion, most NATO countries are still preparing for the wars of the past, rather than for the modern warfare we see today.
Even at this exhibition, some companies continue to think in terms of outdated standards. I see the same problem at exhibitions in London, Washington, and Poland. The realities of modern warfare are being grasped far too slowly.
Jacobsen: We’ve seen operations like “Web,” as well as the Israeli operation using pagers that exploded. What will special operations look like in the future? Will they make greater use of drones and artificial intelligence?
Kryvonos: Special operations forces are studying new technologies and using them effectively in the current war.
In the future, it will be better to assign tasks to machines rather than people, as this reduces the risk of military personnel being killed.
However, artificial intelligence is not always capable of accounting for all the nuances of the enemy’s behavior. People must continue to play an active role. AI can improve planning, but it cannot completely replace human intelligence or account for all human factors. These can be both strengths and weaknesses.
Jacobsen: I see two opposing approaches: Russia is willing to accept heavy losses, while Ukraine is increasingly focused on preserving the lives of its soldiers. Does this principle also influence the conduct of Ukrainian special operations?
Kryvonos: Absolutely.
Jacobsen: As I understand it, Russia expended significant special operations forces resources during the early stages of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Is that correct?
Kryvonos: Yes. Many of these service members were killed in 2022. In my opinion, Russia used them inefficiently and suffered significant losses.
I believe that special operations forces are most effective immediately before the start of hostilities or in the early stages of a war. When a full-scale war begins, they adapt to the senior commander’s operational plan. They no longer act independently but carry out the tasks assigned by that commander.
The problem I encountered was that senior Ukrainian commanders lacked an understanding of how to properly employ Special Operations Forces.
Jacobsen: Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you and for your time, Serhiy.
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