Ukraine’s New Military Chief Makes First Statement, Says Armed Forces Must Evolve to Succeed

The newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky, made his first statement after his appointment on Thursday, Feb. 9.

Syrsky said his forces would need to evolve and be prepared to alter how they fight Russian troops to win the war.

The 59-year-old’s appointment this week was the biggest shake-up of Ukraine’s military leadership since the beginning of Russia's fully-fledged invasion nearly two years ago.

Despite successes on the battlefield, Syrsky is not a national icon like his predecessor, Valery Zaluzhny, and he has earned a reputation for being indifferent to military casualties.

He appeared to address this characterization in his statement, saying: “The lives and well-being of our servicemen have always been and remain the main asset of the Ukrainian army.”

At the same time, Syrsky highlighted several tasks facing Ukraine today, including:

• Clear and detailed planning of actions of all military command, associations, formations and units, taking into account the needs of the frontline for the latest weapons supplied by allies;
  
  
• the fastest and most rational distribution of everything necessary for combat operations remains the main task of military logistics;
  
  
• knowing all the needs of the frontline and being aware of the situation in each of its areas;
  
  
• the life and health of servicemen has always been and remains the main value of the Ukrainian army;
  
  
• Implementing new technical solutions and scaling up successful experience.

“Only changes and continuous improvement of the means and methods of warfare will make it possible to succeed on this path,” the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief wrote in Telegram.

“And, of course, a reliable rear is one of the main components of overall success in the war,” he added.

On Feb. 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed 58-year-old Russian-born Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrsky as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), replacing 50-year-old Valeriy Zaluzhny who was dismissed.

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Before his promotion, Oleksandr Syrsky served as the Commander of the Ground Forces of the AFU.

Kyiv Post wrote more about the new Commander-in-Chief Syrsky here.