“We Must Win”: Syrsky on Mistakes, the Offensive, and Ending the War on Ukraine’s Terms

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, admitted that a mistake by the Ukrainian command allowed Russian forces to break through to the rear of Ukrainian positions in the Kursk region. The cause was underestimating the enemy and reduced attention to a strategic target — the gas pipeline in the Sudzha direction.

He said this in an interview with TSN.

Syrsky admitted a miscalculation that allowed Russian forces to advance into the rear of Ukrainian troops during fighting in the Kursk region.

According to the general, the command was aware of the risk of a breakthrough near the gas pipeline in the Sudzha area, and Ukrainian units were assigned the clear task of controlling this potentially vulnerable sector. However, due to simultaneous attacks from several directions, attention to this area weakened, which the enemy exploited.

“We knew they could use the pipelines. The task was to monitor. We didn’t pay close enough attention,” Syrsky said.

He explained that the breakthrough was complex — the enemy attacked not only along the pipeline but also on the flanks, diverting the defenders. As a result, the Russians managed to reach the rear, complicating the maneuvers of Ukrainian units and forcing them to adjust their withdrawal tactics.

Despite these challenges, the Defense Forces of Ukraine have held positions in the Glushkovsk district of the Kursk region for over a year, thanks to their determination and the strategic goals of the operation.

Syrsky recalled that the Kursk operation began on August 6, 2024, becoming Ukraine’s first large-scale offensive operation on Russian territory. At its peak, Ukrainian forces controlled up to 1,300 square kilometers of Russian land.

This forced the Russian command to shift reserves from other parts of the front and contributed to the enemy’s demoralization.

At the same time, Syrsky emphasized that the war must end only on terms favorable to Ukraine. According to him, the key to victory is maintaining the initiative, conducting offensive operations, and destroying the enemy to force Russia to surrender, not from a position of strength, but because of losses and the impossibility of continuing the war.

“We must win, not retreat,” the commander-in-chief concluded.

It was previously reported that July was one of the most intense months of the war: the Armed Forces of Ukraine simultaneously repelled massive Russian attacks in the east, advanced in the north, and launched targeted strikes on enemy rear facilities. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky, held a meeting during which he summed up the results of the fighting and outlined priorities for the near future.

We will remind that in the Zaporizhia direction, the Ukrainian Defense Forces achieved partial success – the enemy was pushed out of positions in Kamiansky and Plavny. The situation on the ground was personally monitored by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrsky. In response to the threat, a decision was made to strengthen the grouping of Ukrainian troops in the region.

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