Ukraine’s Top General Says Situation on the Battlefield Has ‘Significantly Worsened’

Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi says Russia is gaining territory in the east

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Saturday that the situation on the frontline in eastern Ukraine has “significantly worsened” in recent days as Russian forces are making steady gains.

Syrskyi, who replaced Gen Valery Zaluzhny in February, said that since Russian President Vladimir Putin was re-elected last month, there’s been a “significant intensification of the enemy’s offensive.”

The Ukrainian commander said that the warmer weather “has made most of the open areas of the terrain accessible to tanks,” helping the Russians advance in the east.

Military situation in Ukraine on April 14, 2024 (SouthFront.press)

Syrskyi’s comments came about two weeks after Ukrainian military officers speaking to POLITICO said the frontlines in Ukraine are at risk of collapsing wherever Russia focuses its offensive. Russia’s current focus appears to be on taking the town of Chasiv Yar, which is about 9 miles west of Bakhmut.

Ukrainian and Western officials have told Financial Times that they expect Russia to launch a major offensive in the late spring or early summer along the entire frontline aimed at taking more territory in Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia, the four Ukrainian oblasts Russia said it annexed in 2022.

Besides gaining more ground on the battlefield, Russia has also significantly ramped up missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and has been much more successful in getting past Ukraine’s air defenses. The Russian Defense Ministry said the strikes were in retaliation for Ukraine’ stepping up at attacks on oil refineries and other energy infrastructure inside Russia.

Despite the bleak situation for Ukraine, the Biden administration is still looking to fuel the proxy war and is not interested in diplomacy with Russia. Biden still hasn’t gotten the $60 billion he is seeking for the war, as the bill it’s included in has been held up in the House.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.