We are not fighting for ruins. When defence truly loses all meaning, I give order and we withdraw units, - Syrskyi
The price of our soldiers' lives is infinitely higher than a few hundred metres of land — this is the key difference between Ukraine and Russia.
This was stated by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview with German television channel ZDF, according to Censor.NET, citing espreso.
Decisions to save people
According to him, the command decides to withdraw from positions if holding them makes no sense and could lead to unnecessary losses:
For us, every citizen and soldier is of the utmost value. We are not fighting for ruins, we are not fighting for building foundations. When defence truly loses all meaning, I give the order and we withdraw our units to save our soldiers," he said.
The commander-in-chief also recalled that the aggression began precisely on the part of the Russian Federation, which occupied Ukrainian lands and destroyed a significant part of Ukraine's infrastructure.
Negotiations
Commenting on the possibility of peace talks, Syrskyi emphasised that Ukraine is only in favour of a just peace, without the aggressor imposing conditions.
"And I believe that if it is a question of peace, then it must be just. It is not for someone else to dictate to us and demand that we give up part of our territory... We will never accept the role of a weak country that is dictated to and has conditions imposed on it, is presented with a fait accompli and simply told: 'sign and get it over with'," he said.
Other statements by Syrskyi
- According to him, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have completed the transition to a corps system.
- Syrskyi believes that at this stage of the war, drones account for about 60% of all enemy targets destroyed.
- In addition, he said that at a certain stage, there were no Ukrainian troops in Pokrovsk. Now, 13 km² of territory has been retaken.
