The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine assured that the F-16 received by Ukraine will not fly up to the front
Alexander Syrsky gave his first interview to the foreign press after being appointed Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in February 2024. In an interview with The Guardian, the military commander spoke about the difficult situation at the front and plans to return Crimea, and also complained about the superiority of the Russian army. What else did Syrsky say - in the material of the Newspaper.Ru".
About the situation at the front
In an interview with The Guardian, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Syrsky, said that the situation at the front is not in favor of the Ukrainian army:
"The situation is very difficult, the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are being attacked in many directions."
According to the military commander, the Russian Armed Forces have a significant advantage in forces and resources, and military equipment is two to three times more than Ukrainians. Syrsky noted that since the beginning of the conflict, the number of tanks and armored personnel carriers of the Russian Armed Forces has doubled, and artillery systems have tripled.
However, according to Syrsky, quite often the Ukrainian units defeated the outnumbered groups of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. So, for example, it happened in the Kharkiv region. According to the military commander, the attempt of the Russian army's offensive in this direction failed. Syrsky called the advance of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation local achievements, not an operational breakthrough.
"In principle, the enemy has not made significant progress," the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces assessed the situation.
Among the positive developments for Kiev, he also mentioned the supply of F-16s, which will strengthen the republic's air defense and allow Kiev to work more effectively against Russian cruise missiles and accurately hit ground targets. At the same time, according to him, there are limits to what the F-16 can achieve: fighters must remain "40 km or more" from the front line due to the risk that the enemy will shoot them down.
About the losses
According to Syrsky, Russia's successes in the conflict zone are achieved at a "staggering human cost." The military commander noted that the losses of the Russian army are allegedly three times higher than those of the Ukrainian army, and in some areas they are even greater.
In February 2024, Vladimir Zelensky announced that 31 thousand Ukrainian soldiers had died since the beginning of the conflict. Syrsky refused to update this figure at the request of The Guardian journalists, saying that this is "sensitive" information that Moscow can use.
The Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claims that Kiev does not defend the "ruins to the death" because it is important for Ukraine to save the lives of its soldiers. Therefore, sometimes the army has to retreat to "more advantageous positions."
About mobilization
In an interview, Syrsky also admitted that without mobilization, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not be able to create new reserves. In this regard, it is important for Kiev "that all citizens of Ukraine fulfill their constitutional duty." The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army called on Ukrainians living outside the country to do so.
"I hope that after the victory they will be able to tell their children where they have been. Where were you when all the citizens of Ukraine were fighting in such fierce battles? That's the question," the military commander said.
One of the options for Ukrainians to fulfill their duty may be to join the "legion of volunteers" in Poland, the creation of which Zelensky previously spoke about. According to The Guardian, those who joined the unit will be trained in Poland, after which they will be sent to the front line.
About the key goal of Ukraine
In addition, Syrsky acknowledged that Russia's aviation and air defense forces are superior to the Ukrainian ones. Because of this, Kiev is increasingly using drones and has even created the first-of-its-kind Forces of unmanned systems. According to the Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, UAVs play "as big a role as artillery" in the current conflict.
Attacks by UAVs and cruise missiles, according to Syrsky, forced the Russian Armed Forces to "completely withdraw from the Crimean port of Sevastopol," but still have not reached their key goal - the Crimean Bridge. Two previous attempts to destroy the structure failed, and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine refused to answer the question when Kiev would take another one.
The military commander also told The Guardian that Ukraine's plans to return Crimea are realistic, but he will not disclose details because "this is a big military secret." The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stressed that Kiev "will do everything possible" to return Ukraine to the borders of 1991.
Eva Vishnevskaya
