Russia's spring offensive has 'effectively already begun,' Syrskyi says

Russia's new spring offensive against northeastern Ukraine "has actually already begun," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the LB.UA outlet published on April 9.

Syrskyi's comments come after President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow is amassing forces for a fresh offensive against the Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts this spring.

"I can say that the president is absolutely right, and this offensive has effectively already begun," Syrskyi said.

For nearly a week, Russian offensive operations have almost doubled in all main sectors, the commander-in-chief noted.

Ukrainian officials and experts have been warning that Russia may launch a new offensive against the two northeastern regions to strengthen its hand in potential negotiations. The development comes after Russia recaptured much of its territory in Kursk Oblast, a Russian border region Kyiv attacked last year to disrupt plans for an offensive against Sumy Oblast.

U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Moscow has rejected the 30-day truce agreed upon by Washington and Kyiv and continues its onslaught, hoping to use the time to seize more territory.

Russia made significant advances on the battlefield, primarily in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast, last fall, but its push had slowed down in the early months of 2025.

When asked whether the upcoming Zapad 2025 drills in Belarus in September could be part of preparations for the new offensive, Syrskyi acknowledged that military exercises can be used to redeploy and amass a new group of forces.

At the same time, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief does not expect that the fall exercises will be used for that purpose, though Kyiv "has to take this factor into account."

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The Kyiv IndependentYuliia Taradiuk