President Volodymyr Zelensky has addressed the controversy surrounding the reassignment of Air Force personnel to the Ground Forces, in his evening address on Jan. 14.
The Ukrainian Air Force will transfer military personnel "en masse" to reinforce the Ground Forces' combat brigades in early 2025, Ukrainska Pravda reported on Jan. 14, citing an undisclosed Air Force source.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi’s statements came following a media investigation claimed that soldiers of the unit, now deployed near Pokrovsk, have suffered losses and went AWOL (absent without leave) in large numbers due to poor command and organization on Ukraine's side.
A total of 49% of the targets were struck by kamikaze drones, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Key developments on Jan. 1: * Russian drone attack kills 2, injures 6, damages central bank building in Kyiv * Russia has lost over 38,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Ukraine has brought back 1,358 people from Russian captivity in 2024 * Zelensky says Trump 'willing, capable of achieving peace
The Russian army has lost over 38,000 troops and more than 1,000 pieces of equipment since the beginning of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Jan. 1.
"Russia continues to carry out constant 'human wave' assaults, suffering record losses," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Key developments on Dec. 27: * Russia's new Oreshnik missile relies on Western manufacturing technology, FT reports * 3 senior Russian officers killed in HIMARS, drone attack, Ukraine's military intelligence says * Ukraine working to extend basic training to 2 months, Syrskyi says * Russia ramps up production of Shahed drones, decoys at Tatarstan
“We are currently working to create conditions for the training to last 2 months in total. High-quality training means, first and foremost, the preservation of the lives and health of our soldiers,” Syrskyi said.
"The Ukrainian defense forces in heavy battles did not allow the Russians to breach the defense and achieve operational success on any of the directions," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Key developments on Dec. 17: * Ukraine's SBU assassinates Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes, source claims * Ukraine's Special Forces claim to kill 50 North Korean soldiers in 3 days * Russia heavily attacking in Kursk Oblast for 3rd day, 'actively' using North Korean troops, Syrskyi says * Zelensky rejects Orban's mediation,
"For the third day, Russian forces have been conducting intensive offensive operations in Kursk Oblast, actively using North Korean units," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that "non-standard decisions" are needed near the embattled city of Pokrovsk, after the military reported that Russia had destroyed two Ukrainian positions in the area.
President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed General Mykhailo Drapatyi as Ukraine's Ground Forces commander, the president announced on Nov. 29.
"For 1,000 days, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been confronting the enemy on the front line, which stretches over 1,000 kilometers," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Nov. 19, Day 1,000 of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Over the past week, Russia had been gathering forces in what appears to be preparations for a decisive push in the country's Kursk Oblast. "The situation is changing every day. Not long ago, we were on the offensive, and now we are on the defensive," a 35-year-old artilleryman with the
"We have numerous reports about the preparation of North Korean soldiers to participate in combat operations alongside Russian forces," Syrskyi said.
Russian forces have suffered 7,905 soldiers killed, 12,220 injured, and 717 captured during almost three months of the Kursk incursion, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Nov. 6.
Key developments on Nov.2-3: * Ukraine facing one of Russia's 'most powerful' offensives since start of all-out war, Syrskyi says * North Korean soldiers sent to Ukrainian border equipped with standard infantry weapons, military intelligence says * Locations of Ukrainian weapons systems revealed on Google Maps, official says * Russia launched around 900
"Active hostilities that continue in certain areas require constant renewal of the resources of Ukrainian units," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
A total of 6,662 Russian troops have been killed, 10,446 wounded, and 711 captured since Aug. 8, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi called Ukraine the leader in the development of interceptor drones.
Following a conversation with the U.K. counterpart, Tony Radakin, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that they discussed the possibility of hitting Russian military targets "in operational and strategic depth."
"We know about roughly 50,000 soldiers from other sectors who were transferred to the Kursk direction," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a documentary aired on national television.
Russia continues to press forward on its offensives across the eastern front, primarily on the Pokrovsk, Vuhledar, and Toretsk axes in Donetsk Oblast.
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only. POKROVSK DISTRICT, Donetsk Oblast – Marked by wide plumes of gray smoke on the horizon, the open fields stretching out southeast of the city of
Ukraine is working to improve the quality of training for its military, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi announced on Sept. 15, and will roll out a new project in October-November.
"In addition, of course, we use maneuvers with force, reserves, and fire. Thanks to the actions of our government, the president of Ukraine, the minister of defense, we managed to reduce the difference between the ammunition used by us and the enemy," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The Kyiv Independent’s Anna Belokur explains the top stories of the week, from the resignation of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to the "stalled" Russian advance near Pokrovsk.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, revealed that Russia had planned an offensive from the Kursk region before Ukrainian forces launched operations there.
"Over the last six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk direction. In other words, our strategy is working," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
As Russian troops approach Pokrovsk, fear mounts over a possible loss of what had long been a key logistic hub tucked away in safety in Donetsk Oblast. The war has arrived in Pokrovsk, once home to 60,000 people, with the Russians estimated to be about eight kilometers away. Thousands
