'No other choice' — Syrskyi says Ukraine must mobilize to counter growing Russian forces
Ukraine's top military commander warned on Aug. 5 that Russia is accelerating its mobilization efforts, with plans to form 10 new military divisions by the end of the year.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said two of the divisions have already been formed, and that Russian forces are adding approximately 9,000 troops each month — despite suffering heavy losses.
According to Syrskyi, Russian forces lost more than 33,200 personnel in July alone — 800 more than the previous month. Russia is estimated to have lost more than one million military personnel since the start of the full-scale invasion.
"Despite this," he said, "the opponent is increasing its forces by 9,000 people every month."
To respond to Russia's growing military, Syrskyi said Ukraine has "no other choice but to continue mobilization measures, improve combat training, and strengthen the unmanned component of our troops."
He also announced ongoing reforms within Ukraine's military corps to improve coordination and battlefield effectiveness.
"We understand the situation and know what must be done," Syrskyi said.
"Our opponent will increase pressure — our common task is to prevent them from achieving their objectives. We will achieve this task."
