Today, an extremely interesting interview of Oleksandr Syrsky was published on the website of The Guardian. The editors of NENKA.info decided to translate it for a full understanding of the situation.
Syrsky is the new Ukrainian commander-in-chief. His unenviable task is to defeat the larger Russian army. Two and a half years after Vladimir Putin's full-scale offensive, he admits that Russians are far better resourced. They have more of everything: tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, soldiers. According to Syrsky, their initial 100,000-strong force has grown to 520,000, and by the end of 2024, their number should reach 690,000.
"As for the technique, here the ratio is 1:2 or 1:3 in their favor," he said. From 2022, the number of Russian tanks "doubled" - from 1,700 to 3,500. Artillery systems tripled, and armored personnel carriers increased from 4,500 to 8,900. "The enemy has a significant advantage in terms of forces and means," said Mr. Syrskyi.
"That's why for us the issue of supply, the issue of quality really comes first."
It is this advantage in people and technology that explains the latest events on the battlefield. Since last fall, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been steadily retreating.
One of Syrsky's first steps when he took office in February 2024, replacing Valery Zaluzhny, was to order the withdrawal of his troops from the city of Avdiyivka. The retreat coincided with a six-month break in arms supplies from the US.
The supply was recently restored. However, the Russians are still seizing fields and villages in eastern Donbas, using airstrikes to force their way forward. They captured the territory northwest of Avdiivka, in the direction of the city of Pokrovsk, and besieged Chasiv Yar. In May, Russian troops opened a new front in the Kharkiv region, storming the city of Vovchansk. Ukraine expected this attack.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, his first interview with a foreign newspaper as commander-in-chief, Syrskyi admitted that the situation was "very difficult". "The Russian aggressor is attacking our positions in many directions," he said. Is it possible to stop the advance of Russia? Yes of course. First of all, it depends on our courageous soldiers, our officers," he said. According to him, quite often "stable and heroic" Ukrainian units defeated larger enemy groups.
As an example, he cited Russia's latest attempt to seize Kharkiv and the neighboring Sumy region.
"She failed," said Mr. Syrskyi. Fighting continues, but, according to him, Putin's attempt to create a "so-called buffer zone" near the Russian border and the Belgorod region has been thwarted. What about the rumors that Moscow is planning another offensive in the south of the Zaporizhzhia region?
If that happens, "we will be able to give them a good answer," he replied. Overall, Syrsky tried to put recent setbacks in context. He called Russia's victories "tactical" - local achievements, and not an "operational" breakthrough, such as the capture of a large city. "In principle, the enemy has not made any significant progress," he said. He added that the length of the front line is 3,700 km. Active hostilities are being conducted on "977 km", which is "twice the length of the border between Germany and France".
Russia's successes, meanwhile, have come at a staggering cost. According to Sirskyi, the losses of the Kremlin "three times" exceed the losses of Ukraine, and in some directions - "even more". "The number of their dead is much higher," he emphasized.
In February, Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that 31,000 Ukrainian servicemen had died since 2022. Can Syrsky clarify this figure? He declined, saying the casualties were a "sensitive" topic that could be exploited by Moscow.
Syrsky contrasted his battle tactics with those of Russian commanders, who are known for sacrificing huge numbers of infantry to gain "100-200 meters."
"It is very important for us to preserve the lives of our soldiers. We are not defending the ruins to the death," said Syrskyi. He said that he did not want to "achieve goals at any cost" or throw his people into "senseless meat assaults." Sometimes it was necessary to move to "more advantageous positions".
Against the backdrop of skepticism about Ukraine's prospects for achieving complete victory, Syrsky noted various positive developments. F-16 fighters will strengthen Ukraine's air defense. They will allow Kyiv to more effectively counter Russian cruise missiles and more accurately hit ground targets. However, he emphasized that there are some limits to what the F-16 can achieve. They must remain "40 km or more" from the front line because of the risk that Moscow could shoot them down. Russia has "better aviation" and "very strong" air defense. Because of this, Ukraine is increasingly turning to unmanned aircraft systems, Syrskyi said. Ukraine used drones "very effectively" and tested "robotic ground systems" - ground robots that could deliver ammunition or rescue a wounded soldier. A new Unmanned Systems Command was created, the first of its kind.
"We fight not with quantity, but with quality," he said, adding that drones play "as important a role as artillery."
According to Sirskyi, the Armed Forces of Ukraine successfully use long-range kamikaze drones to strike deep in Russia. To date, they are targeting "about 200 objects of critical infrastructure". All of them were related to "military logistics" and included factories, fuel depots and ammunition depots. Meanwhile, naval drones that look like boats have sunk about a third of the Russian navy in the Black Sea.
"It really became a trap for them, and a grave for some [ships]," said Sryiskyi.
He added that the Kremlin was forced to "completely withdraw its forces" from the Crimean port of Sevastopol after a series of Ukrainian attacks. Strikes by drones and missiles destroyed radar and missile installations. The key goal of Ukraine is the destruction of the Kerch crossing connecting the occupied peninsula with Russia. Syrsky declined to say when that might happen. Two previous attempts included a truck detonation and a drone strike.
He said that Kyiv has a plan to return Crimea. Is it really possible?
"It's realistic. Of course, this is a big military secret," said the general. He continued: "We will do everything possible to achieve the internationally recognized borders of 1991. We must win... to free our citizens who are in the occupied territories and who are suffering."
At the age of 58, Sirsky was born in Volodymyr, a city near Moscow, in the then Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, he served in the armed forces of Ukraine. Critics accuse him of Soviet military thinking. Supporters describe him as a disciplined and talented commander who, unlike his charismatic predecessor Zaluzhnyi, is often on the front lines. In February 2022, leading the ground forces, he directed the defense of Kyiv. Zelensky gave him the title of Hero of Ukraine, and six months ago he appointed him commander-in-chief.
Up close, Sirsky is warm and friendly. His handshake is quite iron. The meeting with Syrsky took place under the guise of secret agreements and a trip in a minibus. The Kremlin, as you understand, wants to kill him. Aides built a small stage for his rare media appearances, with camouflage netting as a backdrop.
Like many soldiers, he rarely sees his family. "They're suffering without me, so maybe it's a problem for me too," he said. "But I know that we will win. I know how I should do it. And I am sure that we will do it." The general says that he does not sleep for "many hours". In rare moments of rest, he reads books on Ukrainian history in order to understand past "processes". "We have a brave people and a complicated history," he noted.
One of Syrskyi's most urgent tasks is to find new recruits to replace dead and wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Those who fight in the trenches are exhausted. The patriotic fervor that prompted many to volunteer in the spring of 2022 has run out. The government recently lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. Last week, a new law came into force that obliges men to register their data with the TCC. Many have done it. Others are hiding. Syrsky noted that without mobilization it is impossible to create new reserves and brigades, which are necessary because Russia is increasing its ground forces.
"It is very important for us that all citizens of Ukraine fulfill their constitutional duty," he said and called on Ukrainians living outside the country to also participate. "I hope that after the victory they will be able to tell their children where they were. Where were you when all the citizens of Ukraine fought in such fierce battles? That's the question."
One of the initiatives is being formed in neighboring Poland. Soon Ukrainians abroad will be invited to join the new legion. The training will take place in Poland itself, which will contribute to the strengthening of trust between soldiers and officers. Later, the legion will be transferred to the front. Syrskyi paid tribute to Zelenskyi for this "different approach". It is felt that the relationship between them is harmonious. This may be helped by the fact that the commander has no political ambitions and is less well-known than Zaluzhny.
Russia began its armed takeover of Ukraine in 2014, when it secretly seized part of the Donetsk region. More than a decade later, it seems unlikely that Europe's biggest war since 1945 will end this year or next, despite Donald Trump's promise to end the war in one day.
Can Ukraine win? And if so, how long until victory? "I think you have to be very, very brave to say when. We do everything to make it happen. There is simply no more important task for us," said Syrsky, leaving the stage and returning to work.
