Oleksandr Sirsky, Ukraine’s newly appointed commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said his immediate goals were better troop circulation and advanced weapons, the Associated Press reported on the 9th (local time).
Commander-in-Chief Sirsky said his immediate goals today are to improve troop circulation on the front lines and harness the power of new technologies to fight Russian aggression.
Colonel Sirsky, previously commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, spoke a day after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tasked him with battlefield operations against the Russian invasion.
Sirsky, who was born in the Soviet Union and served in the Soviet artillery after graduating from the Moscow Higher Military Command School, is described as an obsessive planner. On the 9th, he said his first task was “to develop a clear and detailed plan.”
He also focused on ensuring the well-being of the Ukrainian military. “The lives and health of soldiers have always been and remain the main values of the Ukrainian army,” Sirsky noted. This appears to have been conscious of some criticism of the Battle of Bahmut.
“New challenges are on the agenda,” Sirsky said on his Telegram channel.
Although he provided few details, the Associated Press interpreted these remarks as being consistent with Zelenskyy’s stated goal of bringing about a “renewal” in the military and adopting a new approach to combat through the previous day’s reorganization. .
But the AP predicts that changes in top military leadership will not solve some of Ukraine’s biggest problems. This is due to demoralizing manpower shortages and insufficient supplies of Western weapons to counter Russian power.
The AP reported that the streets of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, were filled with anxiety over the reorganization of the military leadership.
One citizen in his 30s said he was “generally satisfied” with Sirsky’s popular predecessor, General Valery Zaluzny. “I hope the government doesn’t make a big mistake by replacing him,” she told the AP.
A citizen in his 60s said, “I have some complaints and dissatisfaction” about the change in military leadership. This could be a reference to previous criticism of Sirsky’s strategy to defend the eastern city of Bakhmut for nine months, the AP noted. This strategy resulted in the longest and bloodiest fighting of the war and inflicted heavy troop losses on Ukraine. However, this served the purpose of weakening the Russian military’s power.
Commander-in-Chief Sirsky took on an important role at a time when the overall war situation was difficult. Entering the third year since the war broke out following Russia’s invasion, Ukraine relies heavily on support from Western countries, which are showing signs of war fatigue.
As a result, Russia is putting its economy on a war footing and increasing its weapons stockpiles, while Ukraine is on the defensive.
When asked about Zaluzny’s resignation and Sirsky’s appointment on the 9th, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded, “We do not think these are factors that can change the course of the special (military) operation.”
Sirsky is believed to be the person planning a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region in September 2022. This was Ukraine’s most important victory of the war, allowing Ukrainian forces to push Russian forces out of the Kupyansk and Izhium regions.
Meanwhile, on the 9th, President Zelensky signed an order selecting former Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny and Ukrainian Military Intelligence Director Kirillo Budynov as recipients of Ukraine’s highest honor, the Hero Award.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.