Syrskyi announced preparation of new offensive operations by Armed Forces of Ukraine: "You cannot win by defending"
In 2026, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue their strategic defensive operation, but at the same time will prepare offensive actions.
This was announced by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi in an interview with LB.ua, according to Censor.NET.
The strategic goal of the Russian Federation has not changed
Syrskyi noted that Russia's strategic goal remains unchanged — the aggressor country seeks to occupy the entire territory of Ukraine.
"And all directions of offensive operations also remain the same, only the timing, the amount of weapons and personnel are changing. Everything else remains as it was. That is, they are sticking to their plans," the commander said.
Defence and offensive actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Syrskyi said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine will continue their strategic defensive operation, but at the same time will prepare offensive actions.
"Therefore, we will conduct a strategic defensive operation, while understanding that victory cannot be achieved through defence alone. Therefore, accordingly, we will conduct offensive operations, fight to maintain the operational initiative, because this forces the enemy to engage and withdraw significant human resources, weapons, and ammunition to restrain our active actions," the commander said.
The practice of asymmetric actions
Syrsky also added that Ukraine will continue the practice of asymmetric actions, as they have proven themselves to be very effective.
"Continue the actions of the Special Operations Forces. They have also achieved a sufficiently high level of development and quality," the general noted.
