Russia's offensive ability is broken, Kyiv's former top general tells BBC — SkimNews
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- Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi told the BBC Ukraine "broken Russia's ability to advance," claiming Russia's losses run 6 to 11 times higher than Ukraine's, with Russia seizing just 61 sq km in the first half of 2026
- UK intelligence chiefs estimate Russia has lost around half a million men killed since the 2022 invasion, while the US-based Center for Strategic and International Studies believes Ukraine lost up to 150,000 troops killed by June 2026 — figures neither government officially releases
- The Institute for Study of War (ISW) confirmed Moscow lost more territory than it took in September 2026, corroborating Syrskyi's claim that the front line has stabilised
- President Zelensky fired Syrskyi this summer after mass street protests, replacing him with 43-year-old Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi following a public rift with then-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov over military procurement priorities
- Syrskyi pushed back on being called "old school," saying drones now account for 80% of Russian losses and pointing to Ukraine creating the world's first Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch under his command
- Soldiers who previously served under Syrskyi told the BBC they were ordered to hold positions until nearly surrounded, contributing to chaotic withdrawals from Avdiivka, Vuhledar, and Pokrovsk — allegations he did not fully deny but attributed to fighting "a far more powerful army"
- Syrskyi warned European allies to "drop all illusions" and prepare for war beyond Ukraine, citing Russia's 18-to-one jet advantage, 2.5x artillery superiority, and four million militarily trained men available for mobilisation
Why it matters: This is the first major on-record defense from a general forced out by street protests this summer, reframing a war often reported as Russian momentum into one of grinding Ukrainian attrition — yet the BBC notes his 6-11x loss ratio and September casualty figures remain unverified, and soldiers' firsthand accounts of nearly surrounded units make his 'stabilised front line' framing contested rather than settled.
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