AFU withdrew from Siversk to dominant high ground for resilient defense – Syrskyi
Ukrainian defenders, under pressure from Russian forces, had to withdraw from the city of Siversk in the Donetsk region to dominant high ground, where fortifications had been built in advance.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said this in an interview with 24 Kanal, Censor.NET reports.
Why they withdrew from the city
"Serebrianskyi Forest, Bilohorivka, Siversk — these are areas where heavy fighting also took place during World War II. The terrain itself consists of dominant heights and chalk hills, like in Bilohorivka. Fortifications were built back then. They held then and enabled such resilient defense," Syrskyi said.
According to him, this direction had long been non-priority because the Russians had no ability to conduct offensive operations. However, Russian forces carried out gradual actions.
"Yes, brigades were stationed there. They kept advancing, but the intensity of combat was lower than in other directions," the commander-in-chief explained.
In that direction, the fighting largely involved actions by sabotage and maneuver groups, infantry and special forces.
"Leaving troops there to die would have been wrong"
According to him, the infantry was left without cover.
"Unfortunately, the concentration of drone units with fiber-optic control links, especially with a range of over 20 km, led to our units, crews and drone teams gradually pulling back deeper, thus leaving the infantry without cover," Syrskyi said.
In these conditions, defending Siversk itself became problematic.
"Leaving the troops who were defending there simply to die would have been wrong. Therefore, the relevant decision was made. We pulled back to dominant high ground. There is room to withdraw. The enemy is also trying to take advantage of this, but it is not working. Relevant actions are being planned in this direction. That is all I can say about this direction," Syrskyi concluded.
- To recall that on December 23, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian defenders had withdrawn from the settlement of Siversk in the Donetsk region in order to preserve soldiers’ lives and unit combat capability. However, the city remains under the AFU’s fire control.
