Exactly a year ago, on February 8, 2024, General Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On this occasion, he decided to sum up his work during this time.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi stated that during his year in this position, the Defense Forces hit 377 military targets on the territory of the russian federation, with a maximum range of 1,700 kilometers.
"The DeepStrike range deep into the territory of the Russian Federation has already reached 1,700 kilometers. We are preparing new long-range weapons, and they will be used. This year, 377 military facilities have become the targets of successful complex fire destruction on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The Air Forces and other components of the Defense Forces destroyed 9,200 air targets of various types during the year, which is 2.4 times more than in 2023 (3,798)," the General noted.
Syrskyi highlighted 8 priorities for his work:
- saving people's lives
- fighting from afar
- to win, prepare
- russia is on fire
- non-standard actions, not just defense
- changing to win
- increasing capabilities
- unity is the key to our stability.
The Commander-in-Chief noted that the Defense Forces this year "stopped the enemy's offensive in the Kharkiv Region, prevented the offensive in the Sumy Region and transferred the war to the enemy's territory", and are also restraining the ongoing offensive of the aggressor in the east.
"Together, during the year, we destroyed more enemy manpower, military equipment and military facilities than combined in the previous years of the war," he added.
Syrskyi recalled that the Armed Forces have developed and are implementing a comprehensive program "Saving the Lives of Servicemen". The key areas of the program are: technologization of the army, improving the training of Ukrainian defenders, improving the provision of medical care at all stages. An important aspect of the program's implementation is the actions of unit commanders.
He also noted that during 2024, the state deployed more than 1.3 million drones to the front.
"We were the first in the world to create the Unmanned Systems Forces, scaled up the already existing legendary units "Magyar Birds", "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 strike UAVs of various types exceeded 461,000. A year ago, the advantage of Russian troops in artillery ammunition was approximately 1:10. Today, this ratio has decreased to almost 1:2," the Commander said.
He added that over the year, the Defense Forces destroyed about 13,050 enemy artillery systems (over the previous two years – 8,400).
Syrskyi recalled that the term of basic general military training (BGMT) has been increased to 1.5 months and may be increased to 2.
"We are strengthening the training of instructors. We conducted a successful experiment on conducting BGMT in the rear bases of combat brigades. In addition, I insist on providing a 14-day adaptation course in military units after BGMT even before combat work. The more prepared and psychologically stable a soldier is, the stronger our positions will be at the front," he noted.
According to Syrskyi, this year, for the first time, training on foreign weapons and military equipment is carried out not abroad, but in Ukraine, which significantly optimizes costs and time. This became possible due to an increase in the number of instructors trained abroad.
He also noted the creation of a "buffer zone" in the Kursk Oblast, which destroyed the enemy's plan to launch a new offensive on Sumy and Kharkiv.
"During 6 months of active hostilities on the territory of the Russian Federation, the total losses of Russian troops in manpower amounted to more than 47,000 people, of which more than 19,000 were 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 taken prisoner," the Commander-in-Chief said.
He also noted that a year ago, work began on auditing military units and military command bodies, in particular the General Staff. Based on the results of the audit, a number of military structures and institutions were disbanded or reduced.
"As a result of the released personnel, we have replenished the command bodies of the operational and tactical levels and combat military units. About 70,000 servicemen were sent to the combat zone as a result of the reduction (decrease) of the number of security, service and support units," the post says.
Syrskyi also stated that this year the Armed Forces of Ukraine "completely switched to NATO standards and principles in the training and management of troops."
"At the end of the third year of a large-scale war, we continue the fight, no matter how difficult it is. We are streamlining mobilization, intensifying recruitment. At the same time, in the current conditions, we cannot do without the transfer and secondment of servicemen from non-combat military units to combat ones. This process is currently ongoing. After all, if the front, as they say, "crumbles," then all our plans will not be worth a penny," General Syrskyi concluded.
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