The head of the Ukrainian army predicts who will win the war. What General Sîrski is betting on
While Washington seeks to end the war by the summer by brokering talks between Kiev and Moscow, fighting continues on the frontline and Russia continues to attack critical infrastructure in Ukraine.
Last night, the Russians attacked the installations of the Ukrainian company Naftogaz, the main producer of oil and gas in the Poltava region, in the east of the country, causing damage, Naftogaz announced on Sunday, according to Reuters.
“This is the 19th Russian attack on the group's facilities since the beginning of the year,” Naftogaz said in a statement, without specifying which facilities were affected.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that Moscow's forces had captured two Ukrainian settlements, one in eastern Ukraine's Kharkiv region and one in the Sumy region, according to Russian state media, cited by Reuters, which said it could not independently verify information from the battlefield.
The US is pushing for a deal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a day ago that the US wants Russian and Ukrainian negotiators to reach a deal as soon as possible to end the bloody conflict that erupted after Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
While the leader in Kiev announced that talks will continue between the US, Russia and his country, the head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Oleksandr Sîrski, said that the war has turned into a technological competition, in which the decisive advantage is given by the development and use of drones.
“Whoever gets and capitalizes on the technological edge on the battlefield will win,” Sîrski said.
The head of the Ukrainian army wants to cause heavy losses to Russia
According to the Ukrainian commander, the unmanned units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine caused significant losses to the Russian army in January alone, reducing its strength by almost 29,700 soldiers, while Russia managed to recruit about 22,000 people in the same period.
“This is the difference we're after: to destroy more soldiers than Russia manages to recruit,” the Ukrainian army commander said, stressing the effectiveness of unmanned systems, which he believes could force Moscow to end the conflict.
In the published message, the Ukrainian official also presented concrete data on the activity of drones in January, indicating an increase in their activity on the front. Sîrski also said that Ukrainian troops maintain a certain advantage in the use of FPV drones.
Vestment regarding the army of Moscow
The head of the Ukrainian army warned that Russia is not behind technologically. According to information presented by the General Intelligence Directorate, this year Moscow plans to increase the number of specialized troops that operate drones by 79,000 people, reaching a total of approximately 165,000 military personnel specializing in unmanned aerial systems.
The Russians are already using their own interception drones and are ramping up their weapons production, testing the “Geranium-4” and “Geranium-5” missiles under combat conditions, the Ukrainian general nicknamed the “Snow Leopard” also said.
In this context, the high-ranking military officer emphasized that Ukraine is also accelerating the search for “revolutionary” technological and managerial solutions to counter Russian drones and overcome the enemy's layered air defenses.
Sîrski announced that drone operators will also be included in the assault troops, where, in some separate regiments, additional battalions of unmanned systems will be introduced.
Zelensky, dissatisfied, imposes changes
Sîrski's remarks came shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced troop changes within Kyiv's Air Force following criticism of regional air defense capabilities.
According to Zelenski, the changes will target the units responsible for intercepting Russian drones, especially those of the Shahed type, writes The Kyiv Independent.
The Kiev leader added that this part of the air defense system must work “much more powerfully and prevent the problems that currently exist.”
Zelenskiy said that in some regions the defense lines are better organized, while in others “there is still a lot to do”.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mihailo Fedorov is dealing with the matter, and the commander of the Air Force has received additional instructions, the Ukrainian leader added.
“Everything that works in one direction or another, at one level or another, should be applied where the (positive, no) results are less. And every day counts. All decisions should be implemented as quickly as possible,” Zelenskiy said.
