Syrskyi names 8 main priorities after a year as AFU chief
Kyiv • UNN
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke about the main directions of the army's development over the year of his work. The priorities include saving the lives of soldiers, drones, training and strikes on Russian territory.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi, who was appointed to this position exactly one year ago, named 8 priorities in the army. Syrsky wrote about this on his Facebook page, UNN reports.
A year ago, on February 8, 2024, I was honored to be appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The army continues an unprecedented fight against an enemy that is superior in terms of personnel, equipment, ammunition, and missiles. The military leadership of the Armed Forces was also renewed, and new commanders were appointed. During the year, my deputies, the General Staff team, commanders and our soldiers and sailors, sergeants and petty officers, officers and generals have been in the ranks with me
The Commander-in-Chief has identified 8 priorities for his post, including saving lives.
We are fighting for our land, but the life of a Ukrainian soldier is the most important thing. That is why the Armed Forces have developed and are implementing a comprehensive program called "Saving Lives of Servicemen". The key areas of the program are: technologization of the army, improvement of training of Ukrainian defenders, and improvement of medical care at all stages. An important aspect of the program is the actions of unit commanders, as they are charged with maximum responsibility for saving the lives of personnel
The second priority, the head named drones.
In 2024, the state supplied more than 1.3 million drones to the front. We were the first in the world to create the Unmanned Systems Forces, scaling up the existing legendary units such as Birds of Magyars, Achilles, K-2, and others. We are developing the areas of robotic platforms, land and sea drones. The enemy is fully experiencing the power of our FPV drones. Over the year, the number of targets hit by attack UAVs of various types exceeded 461 thousand
According to him, a year ago, the advantage of Russian troops in artillery ammunition was about 1:10, and today it is 1:2.
In addition, the Defense Forces destroyed about 13,050 enemy artillery systems over the year (8,400 in the previous two years). Successful counter-battery operations, along with the work of drones, are ending the dominance of Russian guns on the battlefield.
The third priority is training of the military.
Despite the aggressor's continuous pressure on the battlefield, we are making every effort to improve the training of Ukrainian servicemen. The period of basic general military training has been extended to 1.5 months. This made it possible to expand the training program and include the necessary modern elements, including electronic warfare and UAVs
The possibility of extending the basic training to 2 months, strengthening the training of instructors, and providing a 14-day adaptation course in military units after the basic training before combat is also being considered.
This year, for the first time, training on foreign models of weapons and military equipment is being conducted in Ukraine instead of abroad, which significantly optimizes costs and time. This was made possible by increasing the number of foreign-trained instructors. Also, the share of sergeants and key specialists trained in Ukraine, such as snipers, sappers, and combat medics, has been increased compared to the foreign share
Syrsky identified strikes on targets in the territory of the Russian Federation as the fourth priority.
Strikes against military targets on the enemy's territory continue to escalate. Military units, arsenals, storage warehouses, workshops of military-industrial complex enterprises, oil refineries that provide fuel to the Russian army, and other facilities will be attacked as long as Moscow's aggression against our country continues. DeepStrike's strike range deep into Russian territory has already reached 1.7 thousand kilometers. We are preparing new long-range assets, and they will be used. Over the course of this year, 377 military targets have been successfully targeted by complex fire on the territory of the Russian Federation. During the year, the Air Force and other components of the defense forces destroyed 9,200 air targets of various types, which is 2.4 times more than in 2023 (3,798)
Another priority is that "is not just defense.
Ukraine is capable of counterattacking, hitting and driving the enemy. This was proven by the defense of Kyiv, the Kharkiv offensive, and the liberation of the right-bank Kherson region. The Kursk operation also demonstrated this. We created a buffer zone in the Kursk region, destroying the enemy's plan to launch a new offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv. This operation also eased the pressure on some parts of the front
During the 6 months of active hostilities in the territory of the Russian Federation, the total losses of Russian troops in manpower amounted to more than 47 thousand people, including more than 19 thousand killed. Moreover, these are the most trained Russian troops. A group of North Korean mercenaries was also defeated. During the operation, 924 Russian army soldiers were captured. The replenishment of the exchange fund made it possible to release some of our servicemen, including those who had been in captivity since the spring of 2022.
Priority #6 - audit and NATO standards.
A year ago, we started auditing military units and military command and control bodies, including the General Staff. As a result of the audit, a number of military structures and institutions were disbanded or downsized, which allowed us to eliminate duplication of functions, remove unnecessary functions and reduce unnecessarily bloated staffs. The General Staff became an effective military command and control body
According to him, the dismissed personnel were used to replenish operational and tactical command and control bodies and combat military units. About 70 thousand servicemen were sent to the combat zone as a result of the reduction (downsizing) of the number of security, maintenance and support units.
He also reports that a system of promotion and appointment of officers in the military administration has been introduced, subject to the participation (experience) of servicemen in combat operations during the repulse of the large-scale invasion of Russia.
The staff of the General Staff and the Office of the Commander-in-Chief was strengthened with experienced combat generals and officers. The command staff of formations and units has been significantly renewed. The main criterion for appointment is the ability to effectively perform combat missions while preserving the lives and health of subordinates. This year, the Armed Forces have fully adopted NATO standards and principles in training and commanding troops
The penultimate priority highlighted by Syrsky is capacity building.
Over the course of the year, the Armed Forces increased their combat capabilities, which allowed them to prevent an enemy breakthrough and deter its offensive, despite the increase in the number of enemy troops by another 140 thousand people. We managed to create assault units (companies, battalions), which proved to be effective during active combat operations (offensive), including in the Kursk region. On their basis, we are currently forming assault regiments.
We have also managed to significantly increase our electromagnetic spectrum capabilities. An electronic warfare battalion, more than a hundred electronic warfare companies in brigades and electronic warfare units in line battalions of brigades were additionally formed. The formation of a separate training center for electronic warfare specialists has begun. The "Iceberg" electronic warfare management system was developed and implemented in the troops. 83 newest electronic warfare devices were codified and tens of thousands of them were delivered to the troops. The capabilities of the electronic warfare subsystem "Pokrova" were enhanced.
Ukraine has also managed to increase its fighter air cover capabilities by deploying F-16 aircraft.
We are also strengthening our air defense with Mirage 2000 multi-role fighters, which have already been provided by our French partners. We have improved our counteraction and defeat of UAVs by engaging combined airplane and helicopter units and UAV interceptor crews. Strengthened counteraction to guided aerial bombs and defeat of CABs through additional deployment of modern hardware and software systems and electronic warfare equipment
Ukraine receives first Mirage 2000 and F-16 fighters - Defense Ministry06.02.25, 15:56 • 57054 views
In addition, we managed to ensure that the enemy's surface forces were banned from operating in the western part of the Black Sea, creating the conditions for the launch of a sea corridor and exports from and to Ukrainian ports.
They forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to withdraw virtually all warships, including Kalibr carriers, from Sevastopol and Feodosia to Novorossiysk. The experience of three years of combat operations against superior enemy forces dictates the need for changes in the formation of groups and the structure of troops to become more stable and manageable. We see and understand this. Therefore, these changes will soon take place. In particular, the transition to the corps system initiated by me
He also emphasizes that we have already started forming army corps as the first step towards improving our army. Despite the fact that the reform has to be implemented on the march, the command is consistently and confidently moving along this path. In the future, we will build a clear corps structure.
The last priority is unity.
I have spent this year together with our soldiers. I regularly meet with them at the front line, hear their suggestions and wishes, and work with them at the control points to develop new solutions for the frontline. I know they are tired. For many of them, this war has been going on for 11 years. The last three years have been spent without rest, in constant struggle. Are there any problems? Yes, there are. But we are aware of these challenges and are doing our best to overcome them. History proves it: Ukraine will exist as long as its Armed Forces exist. And the Armed Forces will fight as long as the Ukrainian people stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Let us remember that unity is what helped us survive in 2022 and what should lead us to victory now. I see this as my mission and I am fulfilling it
Recall
On February 8, 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed General Oleksandr Syrskyi as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Zelensky also dismissed Valeriy Zaluzhny from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.