Syrskyi spoke about his year in office: we have 8 priorities
A year ago, on February 8, 2024, Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He reminded about this on Facebook, Censor.NET reports.
According to him, the military leadership of the Armed Forces was also renewed, and new commanders were appointed.
"Together, we stopped the enemy's offensive in the Kharkiv region, prevented an offensive in Sumy region and moved the war to the enemy's territory. Together we are holding back the aggressor's ongoing offensive in the east. Together, during the year, we destroyed more enemy manpower, military equipment and military facilities than in the previous years of the war. I am grateful to each and every one of you who is fighting for our country with dedication and courage. It is an honor for me to be in the same ranks with you," said Syrskyi.
He also noted that a year ago, Avdiivka was undergoing a difficult defense, and our units were in a semi-surrounding. One of my first decisions as Commander-in-Chief was to order an organized withdrawal from the city destroyed by artillery and anti-aircraft guns. This is our key priority: saving lives.
We are fighting for our land, but the life of a Ukrainian soldier is the most important thing. That is why the Armed Forces have developed and are implementing a comprehensive program to save the lives of servicemen. The key areas of the program are: technologization of the army, improvement of training of Ukrainian defenders, and improvement of medical care at all stages. An important aspect of the program's implementation is the actions of unit commanders, as they are charged with maximum responsibility for the safety of personnel," he adds.
Syrskyi goes on to list the other priorities.
Priority 2: Strike from afar.
In 2024, the state supplied more than 1.3 million drones to the frontline. We were the first in the world to create the Unmanned Systems Forces, scaling up the existing legendary units such as the Magyar Birds, Achilles, K-2, and others. The areas of robotic platforms, land and sea drones are being developed. The enemy is fully experiencing the power of our FPV drones. Over the past year, the number of targets hit by various types of strike UAVs exceeded 461,000.
A year ago, the advantage of Russian troops in artillery ammunition was approximately 1:10. Today, this ratio has dropped to almost 1:2.
"I thank our partner countries for supplying ammunition. I express my gratitude to the domestic weapons manufacturers who are increasing production and strengthening the frontline with weapons and military equipment marked "made in Ukraine".
This was also made possible by our targeted destruction of Russian artillery. Over the year, we destroyed about 13,050 enemy artillery systems (8,400 in the previous two years). Successful counter-battery combat, together with the work of drones, stops the dominance of Russian guns on the battlefield," he said.
Priority 3: To win, prepare.
Despite the aggressor's continuous pressure on the battlefield, every effort is being made to improve the training of Ukrainian servicemen. The period of basic general military training (BGMT) has been extended to 1.5 months. This made it possible to expand the training program and include the necessary modern elements, including electronic warfare and UAVs. We are considering extending the basic training to 2 months. We are strengthening the training of instructors. We have conducted a successful experiment in conducting BGMT on the logistics of combat brigades. In addition, Syrskyi insists on providing a 14-day adaptation course in military units after the BGMT even before combat work. The more prepared and psychologically resilient a soldier is, the stronger our positions at the front will be.
This year, for the first time, training on foreign models of weapons and military equipment is being carried out in Ukraine instead of abroad, which significantly optimizes costs and time. This was made possible by increasing the number of foreign-trained instructors.
The share of sergeants and key specialists trained in Ukraine - snipers, sappers, and combat medics - has also increased relative to the share of foreign trained sergeants.
Priority 4: Russia on fire.
Syrskyi emphasizes that strikes on military targets in the enemy's territory are continuing to increase. Military units, arsenals, storage warehouses, workshops of military-industrial complex enterprises, oil refineries that provide fuel to the Russian army, and other facilities will be attacked as long as Moscow's aggression against our country continues.
DeepStrike's strike range deep into Russian territory has already reached 1.7 thousand kilometers. New long-range assets are being prepared and will be deployed.
During this year, 377 military targets were successfully targeted by complex fire on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The Air Force and other components of the defense forces destroyed 9,200 air targets of various types during the year, which is 2.4 times more than in 2023 (3,798).
Priority 5: Unconventional actions. Not just defense.
Ukraine is capable of counterattacking, hitting and driving the enemy. This was proven by the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv offensive, and the liberation of the right-bank Kherson region. This was also demonstrated by the Kursk operation.
"We created a buffer zone in the Kursk region, destroying the enemy's plan to launch a new offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv. This operation also eased the pressure on some parts of the frontline," emphasizes Syrskyi.
During the 6 months of active hostilities on the territory of the Russian Federation, the total losses of Russian troops in manpower amounted to more than 47 thousand people, including more than 19 thousand killed. Moreover, these are the most trained Russian troops. A group of North Korean mercenaries was also defeated.
In the course of the operation, 924 Russian servicemen were captured. The replenishment of the exchange fund made it possible to release some of our servicemen, including those who had been in captivity since the spring of 2022.
"The creation of new mechanized brigades helped to bring fresh units to the Kursk offensive. Thanks to this, we were able to withdraw three brigades of the Air Assault Troops from Donetsk region to restore combat capability, to man and equip them, which has resulted in the following: we have been holding hundreds of square kilometers of the aggressor country's territory for over 6 months," the Chief said.
Priority 6: Change to win.
"A year ago, we started auditing military units and military command and control bodies, including the General Staff. Based on the results of the audit, a number of military structures and institutions were disbanded or downsized, which allowed us to eliminate duplication of functions, remove unnecessary functions and reduce unjustifiably bloated staff. The General Staff has become an effective military command and control body.
With the help of the released personnel, we have replenished the operational and tactical command and control bodies and combat military units. About 70,000 servicemen were deployed to the combat zone as a result of the reduction in the number of security, maintenance and support units.
We have introduced a system of promotion and appointment of officers in military command and control bodies, subject to the participation (experience) of servicemen in combat operations during the repulsion of the large-scale invasion of Russia. Intermediate levels of command have been reduced and new military command and control bodies have been formed," the statement said.
The staff of the General Staff and the Office of the Commander-in-Chief has also been strengthened with experienced combat generals and officers. The command staff of formations and units has been significantly renewed. The main criterion for appointment is the ability to effectively perform combat missions while preserving the lives and health of subordinates.
This year, the Armed Forces of Ukraine fully adopted NATO standards and principles in training and commanding troops.
Priority 7: Capacity building.
Over the course of the year, the Armed Forces increased their combat capabilities, which allowed them to prevent the enemy's breakthrough and restrain its offensive, despite the increase in the number of enemy troops by another 140,000.
"We have created assault units (companies, battalions), which have proved to be effective during active combat operations (offensive), including in the Kursk region. Today we are forming assault regiments on their basis.
We have also managed to significantly increase the capabilities of the Armed Forces to fight in the electromagnetic spectrum. An additional electronic warfare battalion, more than a hundred electronic warfare companies in brigades and electronic warfare units in line battalions of brigades have been formed.
The formation of a separate training center for electronic warfare specialists has begun. The Aisberg electronic warfare management system was developed and deployed in the troops. The codification of 83 newest electronic warfare equipment was carried out and tens of thousands of equipment were delivered to the troops. The capabilities of the electronic warfare subsystem "Pokrova" have been increased," he adds.
"We have also increased the capabilities of fighter air cover through the deployment of F-16 aircraft. We are also strengthening our air defense with Mirage 2000 multi-role fighters, which have already been provided by our French partners.
We have improved countering and defeating UAVs by engaging combined airplane and helicopter units and UAV interceptor crews. Counteraction to guided aerial bombs and defeat of KABs was strengthened by additional deployment of modern hardware and software systems and electronic warfare equipment.
In addition, we provided direct cover for priority critical infrastructure facilities in the fuel and energy sector and industry.
"We ensured the prohibition of the enemy's surface forces in the western part of the Black Sea, thus creating the conditions for the launch of the sea corridor and exports from/to Ukrainian ports.
We forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to withdraw virtually all warships, including Kalibr carriers, from Sevastopol and Feodosia to Novorossiysk.
The experience of three years of combat operations against superior enemy forces dictates the need for changes in the formation of groups and the structure of troops to become more stable and manageable. We see and understand this. Therefore, these changes will soon take place. In particular, the transition to the corps system initiated by me.
We conducted a thorough analysis of the effectiveness of the existing command and control system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Based on its results, the National Security and Defense Council put into effect the Concept of Reorganization of the Armed Forces in Warfare, which we developed to maximize the combat potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Syrskyi emphasized.
Also, according to him, Ukraine has practically started forming army corps as the first step towards improving our army.
Despite the fact that the reform has to be implemented on the march, we are consistently and confidently moving along this path. In the future, we will build a clear corps structure.
"At the end of the third year of the large-scale war, we continue to fight, no matter how difficult it is. We are organizing mobilization and intensifying recruitment. At the same time, under the current circumstances, we cannot do without relocating and seconding servicemen from non-combat military units to combat ones. This process is currently underway. After all, if the frontline falls apart, as they say, all our plans will not be worth a damn," he explained.
Priority 8: Unity is the key to our resilience.
"I have spent this year together with our soldiers. I regularly meet with them on the front line, hear their suggestions and wishes, and work with them at the control points on new solutions for the frontline.
I know they are tired. For many of them, this war has been going on for almost 11 years. The last three years have been spent without rest, in constant struggle.
Are there any problems? Yes, there are. But we are aware of these challenges and do our best to overcome them. History proves it: Ukraine will exist as long as its Armed Forces exist. And the Armed Forces will fight as long as the Ukrainian people stand side by side with them. Let's remember that unity is what helped us survive in 2022 and what should lead us to victory now. I see this as my mission and I am fulfilling it," he summarized.
