When asked by a journalist whether it was true that Ukraine was not preparing for a full-scale invasion, Syrsky, who at the time of the invasion held the position of commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that this was a false statement.
According to him, preparations for the defense of Kyiv began even before February 24, 2022, when it became obvious that Russia was preparing aggression.
Syrsky noted that 12 days before the start of the invasion, he turned to the then commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny with a request to entrust him with responsibility for the defense of the capital.
“We began preparing the defense of the city. We carried out a whole range of measures to determine the boundaries, positions, determined the outer ring of defense, the inner ring of defense, divided the city into sectors, appointed responsible sector commanders, appointed staff officers of these sectors, formed battalions, formed consolidated troops,” the commander-in-chief emphasized.
Syrsky emphasized that at the time of the start of the full-scale invasion, the only fully operational combat unit in the area was the 72nd Brigade, while other forces had to be formed in a short time.
“We were preparing, but of course there was too little time,” Syrsky noted.
He also said that the awareness of the inevitability of an attack intensified after Russia announced joint exercises with Belarus and the subsequent abandonment of Russian troops on its territory.
“You remember how Russia announced joint exercises with the armed forces of Belarus. And when these exercises ended, a continuation was announced – leaving this Russian contingent on the territory of Belarus. Then it became clear that this was already an open preparation for aggression, because an offensive group was created, and it was this group that had the task of capturing Kyiv,” the commander-in-chief explained.
Video: Chief Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine / CinC AF of Ukraine / Facebook
Context
The aggressor country of the Russian Federation launched a war against Ukraine in 2014, when it occupied Crimea and parts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. After the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, Irpen, Gostomel, Bucha and other settlements in the suburbs of Kyiv became an area of intense fighting.
The Kyiv region, partially occupied from February 24 to March 31, 2022, was completely liberated on April 2. After the liberation, it became known about the massacres of civilians and the atrocities of the occupiers, which shocked the world.
In populated areas of the region, in particular in Bucha, the bodies of hundreds of killed civilians were found. During the 33 days of occupation, the Russian military committed more than 9 thousand war crimes in the Buchansky district alone and killed more than 1.4 thousand civilians, including 37 children, noted the Office of the President of Ukraine.
