Ukrainian Commander Fearful and Desperate as Russia Launches New Offensive Campaign

Ukrainian Commander Syrskyi admits Russia goes on new offensive campaign

09.04.2025 14:24

According to Ukrainian military sources, Russian forces have stepped up their activity near Pokrovsk in the past 10 days, and are redeploying additional troops and equipment there in preparation for future offensives. However, since Pokrovsk itself is well-fortified, their main efforts may be redirected toward Novopavlivka in Dnipropetrovsk region.

“They will enter the Dnipropetrovsk region — that is one of the key objectives set by the Russian command,” a Ukrainian soldier said.

Russian forces have also made steady gains in recent weeks in the Luhansk region, particularly north of Lyman.

Russia Launches Offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv Regions — Syrskyi

“Despite all ongoing negotiations, we are only seeing an increase in the intensity of offensive actions,” Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said.

He noted that Russia aims to create a buffer zone in the Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions. He also said Russia’s mobilization capacity includes approximately 5 million people, with a total reserve of up to 20 million.

Other statements from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine:

In autumn, Russian and Belarusian troops will begin exercises on the territory of Belarus. We must take into account the fact that, under the guise of exercises, the scenario of 2022 could be repeated.

We are seeing successes in the production of artillery, electronic warfare systems (EW), and UAVs. We have started receiving fiber-optic drones with a 20 km cable. Within one to three months, we will be able to increase the number of fiber-optic FPV drones, which will almost completely deprive Russian forces of their advantages.

Only four people knew about the offensive in the Kursk region. Before that, I personally visited all the units — I explained to each one why we were going there and why it had to be in that location. Some commanders were asking whether it was even legal.

The Russian army increases the size of its forces by 8,000–9,000 contract soldiers each month. In some regions, the contract is worth up to $40,000.

The North Koreans continue to arrive. At the very least, there have already been two waves of training and reinforcements.

We need to mobilize 30,000 people each month (compared to 50,000 a year ago — ed. Militarist).

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense is considering options for rotating or treating troops for a period of three to five months.

If demobilization after three years of service had been allowed in April 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine would have lost a third of their army — about 350,000 troops.

The war may continue for years, and rotations are constantly needed, but without mobilization, it is impossible to carry them out effectively.

The Commander-in-Chief also noted that current support from the US has decreased, and most aid is now coming from European partners.

Details

Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi (Ukrainian: Олександр Станіславович Сирський; born 26 July 1965) is a Ukrainian military officer. Holding the rank of four-star general, he has served as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 8 February 2024. Previously, he was the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces from 2019 to 2024, and the commander of the Joint Forces Operation from May to August 2019. During the conflict in Ukraine, Syrskyi commanded the defence of Kyiv. In September 2022, he commanded the Kharkiv counteroffensive. He then led the defense of Bakhmut into 2023.

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