Yeah, journalists have a job, they're trying to get out a story, it's compelling to have a battalion commander talk about troops arriving to the front lines with poor training...but how in the world does that serve the best interests of Ukraine?
You can tell from some of the video there are troops with no prior military service, limited training, that are being sent to the front in Bakhmut. On one of the videos one of the leaders - seems like an NCO - walks into the command basement and says the 10 guys in one squad won't go. The response is, well, get them to go. Yeah, I've got 7 of the 10. I have to be more motivational with the other 3.
Ukraine has no real ability to manufacture the arms they need to prosecute this war. They are almost completely dependent on their allies. Their allies are not going to look favorably on troops being sent to the front lines with poor training, regardless of the necessity. That's not going to be a good look. Right now there are plenty of people in the West who are looking on this thing as an attritional war that will remain so for a long time. They see a lot of dead bodies piling up, and they wonder what the point of it is? Why can't we reach some kind of peace agreement with something similar to the current boundaries? Especially since the lines of conflict aren't going to change much. That's a dangerous mentality for Ukraine.
Ukraine has to be able to control the message to make it look as favorable as possible, so that their allies continue to be able to exhibit the political will necessary for Ukraine to have success. If Ukraine can get some kind of breakthrough this spring - it doesn't have to be the dramatic success of Kharkiv, it can be the steady progress of Kherson - then it will embolden the allies to continue to support Ukraine without caving into disastrous and destructive peace talks.
Not to mention the whole chain of command thing. It's a big no no to simply go above your immediate superior with a complaint. Militaries depend on people following orders. I realize that's not a defense for every action, but if you don't obey orders there's a good chance there are going to be negative consequences. And there has to be in order for them to function. To go to a journalist with these types of complaints? The journalist is talking about what a great battalion commander he was, and he probably was, but a great battalion commander knows better than to go outside the system to air grievances, particularly in the middle of a fucking war, and PARTICULARLY where the conduct of that war is so dependent on foreign nations providing support.
I certainly sympathize with the battalion commander sending poorly trained troops to their death. I cannot even imagine that. Maybe I'd do something similar about talking to a journalist if I felt their deaths were being caused by corruption or incompetence, and I had tried to address it the best ways I knew how within the chain of command. But I sure wouldn't want a pity party on my account afterwards, because I would know good and well what the consequences would be. And should be, frankly.
At the very least the guy could have made an off the record comment about it. Not that that's better, but putting his name and face out there pretty much demands he be removed from his position.