By KYIV. July 20 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky, speaking about the situation in the east, said now the Ukrainian forces can respond with one shot to seven or eight shots of the Russians.
“I can tell you about my grouping, about my direction. Let me say that the main forces of the Russian army are concentrated in my direction around Bakhmut, in Lyman direction. This area is full of engineering barriers, many units in general fought defensive battles there all last year. In fact, the entire vast territory has been prepared in terms of engineering, there are many strongholds. Therefore, all advances are really not going as fast as we would like,” Syrsky said in an interview with the BBC.
In addition, he said Russian troops have an advantage in numbers and especially in artillery.
“And most importantly, a significant advantage in the ability to provide ammunition. That is, now we can respond with one shot to seven or eight shots of the Russians. Unfortunately, this is our harsh reality. But we carefully plan our operations. Therefore, we are able to succeed. And now we are moving forward,” the general said.
Syrsky said every day Ukrainian forces are moving forward at a distance of half to one kilometer.
This is crucial for us, because our servicemen are thirsty for victory. They understand that they are moving forward, despite the fact that they are constantly moving with fights.
The general said now his group is conducting a defensive operation, and against the backdrop of a defensive operation, offensive operations are taking place in several directions around Bakhmut.
He said every offensive operation is thought out.
“Each day of such offensive actions is planned in detail, so we have significantly lower losses in personnel. And we succeed mainly through the use of maneuver, strikes to the flank, bypass, envelopment and access to the rear,” Syrsky said.
Answering the question whether he had enough time, troops, ammunition, preparation for the offensive, Syrsky said: “You know, there are never enough troops, weapons, or ammunition. For every military man, as a rule, this is a big problem.”
“This is especially for us, because the scope of the combat zone is very large. And the fighting is going on in different directions. And in general, Russian troops have an advantage,” he said.
In addition, he called the recapture of Bakhmut “a matter of principle, a matter of honor,” since many brothers, Ukrainian servicemen, died during the defense of the town.
