Russia has effectively already launched its offensive in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Oleksandr Syrsky said.
In an interview with LB.ua media outlet, he reiterated that Russia’s strategy of sacrificing large numbers of infantry for tactical gains remains unchanged.
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Commenting on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s recent statement to Le Figaro that Russia is preparing for a new offensive in Sumy and Kharkiv, Syrsky said:
“This offensive has actually already begun. For several days – almost a week – we have been observing an almost doubling of the enemy’s offensive actions in all main directions.”
According to Syrsky, Russia continues its strategic offensive operation aimed at advancing deeper into Ukraine, seeking to fully occupy the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as parts of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
He added that Moscow is also trying to create a buffer zone in Ukraine’s border regions – Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv.
Despite ongoing negotiations aimed at ending the war, Ukraine is seeing only an increase in the intensity of Russian attacks, Syrsky emphasized.
Mobilization and demobilization in Ukraine
Syrsky also said that all data on Ukraine’s mobilization remain classified.
“I know all the numbers – how many people joined this month through recruitment, how many last month – but everything related to mobilization is confidential information,” he said.
Russian Drones Hit Nova Poshta’s Sumy Hub
“Say one number, and (the enemy) will quickly calculate the rest.”
Commenting on the 6 million men who have not updated their data at Territorial Recruitment Centers (TRC) and are avoiding mobilization, Syrsky said they could still be recruited into the army.
“First of all, we need digitalization. Once the system is digitalized, we will know where all our citizens are,” he said.
Responding to a question about the mobilization target of 30,000 per month – mentioned earlier by Zelensky – Syrsky said:
“The president announced the figure that he announced. And that is indeed the figure we must adhere to.”
Meanwhile, Russia is increasing the size of its armed forces by 8,000 to 9,000 soldiers every month, mostly through contract recruitment.
“In some regions, a contract is worth up to $40,000. And money is always an incentive for them,” Syrsky said.
He also revealed that if Ukraine had five additional brigades during its counteroffensive, the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar in the Donetsk region could have been liberated, adding that Russian forces would have withdrawn on their own.
Syrsky commented on the issue of demobilization, saying that if the Ukrainian parliament had approved it, about 350,000 soldiers would have been released as early as this April.
He also admitted that US military aid has decreased, with most support now coming from Ukraine’s European partners.
“For me, a just peace is when we reach our borders and raise our flags. That is the ultimate goal,” Syrsky said.
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