Ukraine’s new military chief said Friday his immediate goals are to improve the rotation of troops out of the front lines and harness the power of new technology in the fight against Russia’s invasion. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who previously was the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, spoke a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put him in charge of the battlefield campaign against Russia’s invasion. “New tasks are on the agenda,” Syrskyi said on his Telegram channel.
Quick Read
- Ukraine’s New Military Chief Goals: Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine’s newly appointed military chief, aims to improve troop rotations and leverage new technology against Russia’s invasion.
- Syrskyi’s Appointment: President Zelenskyy appointed Syrskyi, the former ground forces commander, to lead Ukraine’s battlefield campaign, emphasizing the need for a fresh approach.
- Challenges Ahead: Ukraine faces manpower shortages and a lack of Western weapons, essential for confronting Russia’s military strength.
- Public Reaction: Kyiv residents express mixed feelings about the military leadership change, with some apprehension about the impact on Ukraine’s war effort.
- Strategic Considerations: Syrskyi’s strategy in the Bakhmut battle, despite high casualties, aimed to deplete Russian forces, demonstrating a willingness to make tough decisions.
- Dependency on Western Support: Ukraine’s war effort heavily relies on aid from Western countries, where signs of fatigue are emerging, making the timing of leadership changes critical.
- Kremlin’s Response: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov downplays the impact of Ukraine’s military leadership changes on the war’s outcome.
- Putin’s Interview with Carlson: In an interview, Putin calls for Washington to persuade Ukraine to negotiate, emphasizing Russia’s readiness for talks.
- International Dynamics: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discusses US military aid for Ukraine with President Biden, highlighting the significance of international support for Ukraine’s war effort.
- Syrskyi’s Background: Born in the Soviet Union with a military education in Moscow, Syrskyi is known for his meticulous planning and emphasis on troop welfare, reflecting a blend of Soviet and NATO military principles.
- Recognition: Zelenskyy awards former military chief Zaluzhnyi and intelligence chief Budanov with Ukraine’s highest honor, acknowledging their contributions to the war effort.
The Associated Press has the story:
New Ukraine Army Chief aims for enhanced troop rotation, Tech use
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) —
Ukraine’s new military chief said Friday his immediate goals are to improve the rotation of troops out of the front lines and harness the power of new technology in the fight against Russia’s invasion. Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who previously was the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, spoke a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy put him in charge of the battlefield campaign against Russia’s invasion. “New tasks are on the agenda,” Syrskyi said on his Telegram channel.
Though he provided little detail, his remarks appeared to align with Zelenskyy’s stated aim of bringing “renewal” to the armed forces in Thursday’s shake-up and adopting a fresh approach to the fight.
But the changes at the top won’t solve some of Ukraine’s biggest problems: a shortage of manpower that has helped sap morale and may require a mass mobilization, and the inadequate supply of Western weapons to take on Russia’s might.
The shake-up of the military top brass caused some apprehension on the streets of Kyiv, the country’s capital.
Alisa Riazantseva, 35, said she had been “generally satisfied” with Syrskyi’s popular predecessor, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi. “We hope that our government has not made a big mistake” by replacing him, she told The Associated Press.
Oleksandr Azimov, 61, said there was “some discontent, some dissatisfaction” about the changes at the top.
That may be a reference to previous criticism of Syrskyi’s strategy of holding on for nine months to the city of Bakhmut, which brought the war’s longest and bloodiest battle and which cost Ukraine dearly in troop losses. But it served the purpose of sapping Russia’s forces.
Syrskyi takes charge at an overall difficult time for Ukraine’s war effort. With the fighting about to enter its third year, Kyiv is largely dependent on support from Western countries where signs of war fatigue have emerged.
That has left Ukraine on the defensive while Russia has placed its economy on a war footing and is building up its weapon stockpiles. Analysts detected no sign of a deeper malaise in Zelenskyy’s move, which had been rumored for weeks.
“Command changes are normal for a state fighting a war over several years,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank, said late Thursday.
Asked about Zaluzhnyi’s exit and Syrskyi’s appointment, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday downplayed the moves.
“We don’t think that these are the factors that could change the course of the special (military) operation,” he said, using the Russian government’s euphemism for the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin used an interview broadcast late Thursday with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson to urge Washington to recognize Moscow’s interests and persuade Ukraine to sit down for talks.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Washington for talks with President Joe Biden on Friday about new U.S. military aid for Ukraine. The vital support is being held up by disputes in Congress.
Syrski, who was born in the Soviet Union and attended Moscow Higher Military Command School as well as serving in the Soviet Artillery Corps, is described as an obsessive planner, and his comments Friday said his first job was to ensure “clear and detailed planning.”
He also placed emphasis on ensuring the well-being of troops. “The life and health of servicemen have always been and are the main value of the Ukrainian Army,” he said — perhaps a reference to the Bakhmut criticism.
Syrski is viewed as the architect of the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in September 2022. That was the most significant Ukrainian victory of the war, allowing Kyiv to push the Kremlin’s forces out of the cities of Kupiansk and Izium.
Zelenskyy signed orders Friday to award Zaluzhnyi and Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence, with the Golden Star award, the country’s highest honor.
Who is Ukraine’s new army chief appointed by Zelenskyy?
The man Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy named Thursday to lead the country’s military has played a key role in some of Ukraine’s biggest victories in its war with Russia, including overseeing the successful defense of the capital in the early days of the invasion.
Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who had been commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, takes over the head job at a challenging time. With the war poised to enter its third year, morale is low, the military is facing shortages of ammunition and personnel, and Kyiv is struggling to maintain support from the West.
The choice of Syrskyi as chief commander is hardly a surprise, as few in the Ukrainian military have the experience and know-how to be able to fill the shoes of his popular predecessor, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Syrskyi’s battlefield successes have earned him the backing of his soldiers, who have been locked in grinding battles for two years.
Syrskyi, 58, is credited with initially organizing the defense of Kyiv in February 2022, when many in Ukraine still rejected Western warnings that a Russian attack seemed imminent. He was later bestowed with the Hero of Ukraine award, the country’s highest honor, for his role in repelling Moscow’s advance on the capital.
In September 2022, Syrskyi was credited with orchestrating the counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, which was the most significant Ukrainian victory in the war and enabled Kyiv to retake the cities of Kupiansk and Izium from the Russians.
He has also led the Bakhmut operation, which was the war’s longest and bloodiest and which has been criticized because of the high losses suffered by Ukrainian forces. But the tactic to pin Russian forces in the strategically insignificant salt-mining town also exhausted Russian troops and resources, sapping their ability to forge major breakthroughs elsewhere.
As triumphs turned to attrition on the frontline, Syrskyi has had to oversee the most difficult phase of the war, which will enter its third year later this month. Shortages of ammunition and fresh personnel threaten to weaken the Ukrainian lines as Russians eye an advance. Ukrainian forces main goal this winter has been holding the territory it controls, as much-needed U.S. military aid is held up in Congress, jeopardizing Kyiv’s military planning.
Syrskyi was born in 1965 in the Soviet Union. He attended Moscow Higher Military Command School and served in the Soviet Artillery Corps. Observers say his style blends the hierarchical nature inherent to Soviet military strategy with NATO principles of operational flexibility.
Described as an obsessive planner with iron discipline, Syrskyi was ground commander for operations in eastern Ukraine and played an important role in the 2014 war, when Russia annexed Crimea.
