Syrskiy explained the failure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Bakhmut.

Syrskiy explained why the offensive near Bakhmut ended in failure

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Oleksandr Syrskiy, explained why the offensive near Bakhmut in 2023 ended in failure. He stated this in an interview with Lb.ua.

According to The New York Times, the counter-offensive plan for Melitopol was crucial for Ukraine, but General Oleksandr Syrskiy prioritized the capture of Bakhmut, which changed the strategy and led to failures on both fronts. However, Syrskiy denies this.

'Every one of our officers, generals who participated in combat actions knows that this NYT article is not true at all. Yes, we conducted an offensive south of Bakhmut. But we attacked with two brigades from the grouping. If we had five brigades, I think both Bakhmut and Soledar would have been liberated,' he explained.

According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, already at the planning stage, it was understood that the forces were insufficient, as there were only 2 brigades without additional ammunition.

'But we relied on surprises, on the fact that by taking bold actions, we would break through the enemy's defense, considering that they were not prepared, unlike in Zaporizhzhia. There, all fortifications were in the field. We hoped that we could advance and cut off the road between Bakhmut and Horlivka. This is the first point,' the general explained.

Syrskiy noted that the second road the military wanted to cut off is the road between Bakhmut and Debaltseve.

'This is the main route that provided logistical support. And from it, there was a road to Popasna. This is another road that led to the main highway,' the Commander-in-Chief explained.

According to him, there were three roads that provided logistical support for the group, which consisted of 20,000 people.

'If we were able to cut off these paths, the enemy would have been forced to retreat. Otherwise, they would have fallen into a trap,' he said.

Syrskiy also noted that this plan could not be implemented due to a lack of forces and resources.

In addition to this, Ukraine destroyed a Tu-22M3 bomber worth 100 million dollars with a drone.