The Armed Forces plan to go on the offensive after the end of the Russian campaign, said head Sirskyi.
"Our goal is to prevent the loss of our territory, to exhaust the enemy as much as possible, to inflict the most probable losses on him, to form and prepare reserves for offensive actions," the head said.
He also named the goals of the Russian Federation. In his opinion, Russia plans to reach the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions and push the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the left bank of the Dnieper in Zaporizhzhia region.
Syrsky also voiced a general assessment of the situation at the front:
- the situation in certain directions remains tense, but under control. The Russian Federation continues its tactics of massive assaults with heavy losses, but its minor advances have only tactical significance;
- the Russian Federation maintains an advantage in manpower, artillery and mortar shells. The ratio of released ammunition is 6:1. Although in some areas of the Armed Forces it was possible to level the situation with artillery;
- the Russian Federation has significantly increased the activity of aviation, uses anti-aircraft missiles that destroy Ukrainian positions;
- The Armed Forces of Ukraine fight on the basis of accuracy, not the number of weapons, using the advantage of drones as much as possible. But the Russians, according to the chief of staff, "are trying to catch up with us in this effective type of weapon."
Also, Golovkom Syrskyi named the official number of soldiers who were captured during the retreat from Avdiivka.
"Unfortunately, during these battles, 25 Ukrainian servicemen were captured by the Russians. This is war," said Sirsky.
He noted that it was necessary to retreat from Avdiyivka due to the fact that the Russian Federation had a significant advantage in manpower and weapons, and the constant bombardment with guided aerial bombs "violated the integrity of the Ukrainian defense", which allowed the enemy to gradually advance.
The insufficient amount of ammunition for artillery did not allow effective counter-battery combat.
"Therefore, in order to avoid being surrounded and save people's lives, I decided to leave Avdiyivka," said Sirskyi.
So far, Chief Commissar Syrsky has commented on media information about the plans of the Russian Federation to attack Kharkiv.
"We cannot ignore any information about the enemy's preparations for offensive actions, so we take all measures to adequately respond to such a possibility. Today, we are carrying out a large complex of works on the fortification equipment of territories and positions, we are installing a complex system of barricades, we are planning the use of our troops in the event of such actions," the head said.
We will remind you that in recent days, several Western publications wrote about Russia's preparations for a major offensive. And Zelenskyi said that the Armed Forces may not have enough strength to stop a new offensive of the Russian Federation in May-June.
