Faced with a Russian army having increased the use of its air forces, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief affirmed that his troops were fighting with “little or no weapons and ammunition”, once again calling on the West to deliver them “more quickly ". “The defense forces are carrying out tasks along the vast front line with little or no weapons or ammunition,” said Oleksandr Syrsky in a rare interview given this Friday to the Ukrainian agency Ukrinform.
“A few days ago, the enemy's advantage in terms of ammunition fired was 6 to 1,” he added, judging that the situation was “tense” in places.
Oleksandr Syrsky took over as head of the Ukrainian army in February, after the dismissal of his very popular predecessor, Valery Zaluzhny. According to him, Russia has “significantly increased the activity of its aviation”, using in particular guided aerial bombs “which destroy our positions”.
In need of new recruits
According to the commander-in-chief, the “constant bombardments” and the lack of ammunition forced his men to withdraw from Avdiivka, a fortress town recently conquered by the Russians in the Donetsk region (east).
With more weapons and air defense systems, Ukraine "without a doubt" could have retained some of the positions it lost, he assured. Echoing the comments of other Ukrainian officials, he called on Western allies to deliver ammunition and weapons “faster and in sufficient quantities.”
Oleksandr Syrsky also affirmed that the figure of 500,000 additional soldiers for the army, mentioned by President Volodymyr Zelensky in December, had been revised downwards. “After reviewing our internal resources and clarifying the combat composition of the armed forces, this figure was reduced significantly,” he said. The Ukrainian army is struggling to enlist new recruits to replace those who have been at the front for a long time and military recruitment is the subject of a thorny social debate.