Today, The Guardian published an extremely interesting interview with Oleksandr Syrsky. The editorial staff of NENKA.info decided to translate it for a full understanding of the situation.
Syrsky is Ukraine’s new 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 the Russians are much better resourced. They have more of everything: tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, soldiers. According to Syrsky, their initial force of 100,000 has grown to 520,000, and by the end of 2024, their numbers should reach 690,000.
“As for equipment, the ratio is 1:2 or 1:3 in their favor,” he said. Since 2022, the number of Russian tanks has “doubled” from 1,700 to 3,500. Artillery systems have tripled, and armored personnel carriers have increased from 4,500 to 8,900. “The enemy has a significant advantage in forces and means,” Mr. Syrsky said.
“Therefore, for us, the issue of supply, the issue of quality, is really at the forefront.”.
It is this advantage in men and equipment that explains the recent events on the battlefield. Since last fall, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been steadily retreating.
One of Syrsky’s first moves when he took office in February 2024, replacing Valery Zaluzhny, was to order the withdrawal of his troops from the city of Avdiivka. The withdrawal coincided with a six-month halt in arms supplies from the United States.
Supplies have recently been restored. However, the Russians are still seizing fields and villages in eastern Donbas, using aerial bombs to push their way forward. They have seized territory northwest of Avdiivka, towards the city of Pokrovsk, and laid siege to Chasiv Yar. In May, Russian troops opened a new front in Kharkiv Oblast, storming the city of Vovchansk. Ukraine had been expecting this attack.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, his first with a foreign newspaper as commander-in-chief, Syrsky admitted that the situation was “very difficult.” “The Russian aggressor is attacking our positions in many directions,” he said. “Can the Russian advance be stopped? Yes, of course. First of all, it depends on our brave soldiers, our officers,” he said. Quite often, he said, “steadfast 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.
“It failed,” Mr. Syrsky said. Fighting continues, but, he said, 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 southern Zaporizhia 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 gains – rather than “operational” breakthroughs such as the capture of a major 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 fighting is taking place 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 in human lives. According to Syrsky, the Kremlin’s losses are “three times” those of Ukraine, and in some areas “even more.” “Their death toll is much higher,” he stressed.
In February, Volodymyr Zelensky said that 31,000 Ukrainian servicemen had been killed since 2022. Could Syrskyi elaborate on that figure? He declined, saying that casualties were a “sensitive” topic that could be exploited by Moscow.
Syrsky contrasted his combat 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 save the lives of our soldiers. We are not defending ruins to the death,” said Syrsky. He said he did not want to “achieve objectives at any cost” or throw his men into “senseless meat-storming.” Sometimes it was necessary to move to “more advantageous positions.”.
Amid skepticism about Ukraine’s prospects for a complete victory, Syrsky noted various positive developments. The F-16s will bolster Ukraine’s air defenses. They will allow Kyiv to more effectively counter Russian cruise missiles and strike ground targets with greater precision. However, he stressed that there are limits to what the F-16s can accomplish. 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 defenses. That’s why Ukraine is increasingly turning to unmanned aerial systems, Syrsky said. Ukraine has used drones “very effectively” and has tested “robotic ground systems” – ground robots that could deliver ammunition or rescue a wounded soldier. A new unmanned systems command, the first of its kind, has been created.
“We fight not with quantity, but with quality,” he said, adding that drones play “as important a role as artillery.”.
According to Syrsky, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been successfully using long-range kamikaze drones to strike deep inside Russia. To date, they have targeted “about 200 critical infrastructure facilities.” All of them were related to “military logistics” and included factories, fuel depots, and ammunition depots. Meanwhile, naval drones, similar to boats, have sunk about a third of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea.
“It really became a trap for them, and for some [ships], a grave,” Sryysky said.
He added that the Kremlin had been forced to “completely withdraw its forces” from the Crimean port of Sevastopol after a series of Ukrainian attacks. Drone and missile strikes have destroyed radar and missile installations. Ukraine’s key goal is to destroy the Kerch Strait, which connects the occupied peninsula to Russia. Syrsky declined to say when that might happen. Two previous attempts have included a truck bombing and a drone strike.
He said that Kyiv has a plan to return Crimea. Is this really possible?
“This is realistic. Of course, this is a big military secret,” the general said. He continued: “We will do everything possible to reach the internationally recognized borders of 1991. We must win… to liberate our citizens who are in the occupied territories who are suffering.”.
Syrsky, 58, was born in Volodymyr, a city near Moscow, in what was then the Soviet Union. He has served in the Ukrainian armed forces since the 1990s. Critics accuse him of Soviet military thinking. Supporters describe him as a disciplined and talented commander who, unlike his charismatic predecessor Zaluzhny, is often on the front lines. In February 2022, he led the defense of Kyiv as the head of the ground forces. Zelensky gave him the title of Hero of Ukraine and six months ago appointed him commander-in-chief.
Up close, Syrsky is warm and welcoming. His handshake is rather ironclad. The meeting with Syrsky took place under the cover of secret arrangements and a minibus ride. The Kremlin, you understand, is out to kill him. Aides have built a small stage for his rare media appearances, with camouflage netting as a backdrop.
Like many soldiers, he rarely sees his family. “They are suffering without me, so maybe that is a problem for me too,” he said. “But I know we will win. I know how I have to do it. And I am sure we will.” The general says he has been awake “for many hours.” In his rare moments of rest, he reads books on Ukrainian history to understand past “processes.” “We have a brave people and a complicated history,” he noted.
One of Syrsky’s most pressing tasks is finding new recruits to replace the dead and wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Those fighting in the trenches are exhausted. The patriotic fervor that prompted many to volunteer in the spring of 2022 has dried up. The government recently lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25. A new law went into effect last week that requires men to register with the Central Military Commission. Many have done so. Others are in hiding. Syrsky noted that without mobilization, it is impossible to create new reserves and brigades, which are needed as Russia increases 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 join in. “I hope that after the victory they will be able to tell their children where they were. Where were you when all citizens of Ukraine fought in such fierce battles? That is the question.”.
One initiative is taking shape in neighboring Poland. Soon, Ukrainians abroad will be invited to join the new legion. Training will take place in Poland itself, which will help strengthen trust between soldiers and officers. Later, the legion will be transferred to the front. Syrsky paid tribute to Zelensky for this “different approach.” It feels like the relationship between them is harmonious. This may be facilitated 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 much time is left until victory? “I think we need to be very, very brave to say when. We are doing everything to make it happen. There is simply no more important task for us,” Syrsky said, leaving the stage and returning to work.
