The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said that at the front, Ukraine switched from offensive operations to defensive operations.
In an interview with the German TV channel ZDF, which was recorded a few days before the appointment of Syrskyi to the position of commander-in-chief, Syrskyi noted that the Russians are advancing "virtually along the entire front line."
"The goal of our defense operation is to exhaust the enemyʼs forces, to inflict maximum losses on him, using our fortifications, technical advantages — in terms of unmanned aircraft, EW, maintaining prepared defense lines," the head said.
Syrsky describes the situation at the front as "tense". In particular, intense fighting is going on in the Kupyansk direction — there, the occupiers are storming the positions every day. At the same time, according to the head of the Armed Forces, technological progress, in particular the use of drones, forces the war to enter a new stage.
"This war increases the importance of technological progress in the armed forces and the progress of the armed struggle itself. We are already seeing, and this is not news for us, the use of ground robotic platforms. Modules that are controlled remotely make it possible to save the lives of military personnel. That is, the war is entering a new stage," Sirskyi added.
According to Syrskyi, the Ukrainian army cannot afford to treat its soldiers like Russian commanders who send their troops to "meat assaults."
"We cannot afford such an attitude as that of the Russian military commanders, when they carry out the tactics of "meat assaults". I prefer to leave some position, but I will not allow the death of personnel. And for them, the life of a soldier has no value. And we see it, their losses, especially those who died, are 7-8 times greater than our losses according to the latest data," said Sirskyi.
- On February 8, 2024 , Valery Zaluzhny was dismissed from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Oleksandr Syrskyi became the commander-in-chief instead.