Russian troops are attacking Ukrainian positions in all areas along the conflict front line, the commander of Ukraine’s ground forces, Colonel General Aleksandr Syrsky, has said.
In a Telegram post on Sunday, Syrsky acknowledged that “the operational situation in the east remains difficult” and that the Russian military “doesn’t stop conducting offensive operations along the entire front.”
He added that he had held a meeting with fellow Ukrainian commanders, who have been “on the defensive in the eastern direction,” to analyze the situation and plan further steps.
Decisions were made at the gathering to “ensure the sustainability of our defenses, preserve the lives of our soldiers, and rationally use the ammunition,” Syrsky stressed.
President Vladimir Zelensky announced in late November that Ukrainian forces would switch from attacking to building fortifications, acknowledging that Kiev’s much-hyped counteroffensive, which began in early June and aimed to cut Russia’s land bridge to Crimea, had ended without success.
According to Russian estimates, Ukraine has lost over 125,000 troops and 16,000 pieces of heavy equipment in failed attempts to advance over the past half a year.
Zelensky also complained last month that Western artillery deliveries to Kiev’s forces had “really slowed down” since Israel began its military operation in Gaza in response to the attack by Hamas on October 7.
The administration of US President Joe Biden recently warned that funds for Kiev had almost run out, with attempts by the White House to push through a $106 billion ‘national security package’ for Ukraine and Israel being blocked by hardline Republicans.
A Ukrainian artilleryman told The Times last week that he had stopped targeting smaller Russian units in order to conserve shells, which are now only being used in “critical situations.”
In contrast, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that the country’s defense industry had been “gaining momentum” and was able to increase production multi-fold amid the conflict with Kiev.
Ukraine is “running out of [everything],” Putin stated. “They don’t have their own base. When you don’t have your own base, don’t have your own ideology, don’t have your own industry, don’t have your own money, don’t have anything of your own, then there is no future,” he argued.