The new head of the Ukrainian Army, General Oleksandr Sirski, has visited the Ukrainian troops defending the Kupiansk (northeast) and Avdivka (east) axes, in his first visit to the front as head of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and has admitted that the situation on the front is “extremely complex and tense.”
Sirski was appointed head of the Army last Thursday, replacing General Valeri Zaluzhni, who was relieved after contradicting President Volodymyr Zelensky several times in public.
“Together with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, I made a working trip to the military units and subdivisions that maintain the defense in the Avdivka and Kupiansk areas,” Sirski wrote on his Telegram channel.
The general has acknowledged that the situation there is “extremely complex and tense.” “The Russian occupiers continue to increase their efforts and have a numerical advantage in personnel,” Sirski has written.
In the Avdivka area alone, the soldier continued, Ukrainian troops repelled 29 Russian attacks during the past day.
Sirski warned that Russia is combining the use of aviation and air-dropped guided bombs with intense mortar and artillery fire on Ukrainian positions.
“We have jointly analyzed (with the Minister of Defense) the available resources and the needs of our troops,” added the general, who announced “a series of important decisions” to “strengthen the combat capabilities” of Ukraine and counteract the actions of the enemy. .
“We do everything possible to prevent the enemy from advancing,” he stressed, while highlighting the high number of casualties that Russia is suffering and underlining that Ukraine is doing everything possible to minimize its casualties.
A Ukrainian military spokesman acknowledged yesterday that the Kiev troops defending Avdivka are being overwhelmed by the intensity of the Russian attacks, and announced the deployment of new troops to continue defending this municipality near the occupied city of Donetsk that Russia is trying to destroy. Surround to continue advancing in the area.
