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The Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky
Photo: Global Images Ukraine / Getty Images
Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrsky has tried to allay fears of another mass mobilization in Ukraine. In an interview with the Ukrainian media Ukrinform, Sysrky said that the originally discussed figure of 500,000 additional soldiers had been revised downwards.
After reviewing resources, “this number was significantly reduced,” Syrsky said. Men from units not involved in the fighting were redistributed. However, Syrsky did not specify how many additional soldiers would now be recruited.
"We assume that we will have enough people who are able to defend our homeland," said Syrsky. The commander-in-chief emphasized that there were still many volunteers.
In December it became known that the Ukrainian army leadership had asked the government to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 more soldiers. President Volodymyr Zelensky hesitated at the time, saying he needed “more arguments” to support the idea.
After a large number of Ukrainians initially volunteered for the war, mobilization has now become a sensitive issue. The government has to take ever tougher measures to ensure that there are enough soldiers available for the war against Russia, because war fatigue is spreading.
Commander-in-Chief Syzrky, who replaced the extremely popular Valery Salushny in February, is considered tough and ruthless towards the soldiers. In an interview with Ukrinform, however, he appeared emphatically understanding. "We have to remember that people are not robots," said Syrsky. "They are physically and mentally exhausted, especially in combat."
Syrsky described the situation at the front as “really difficult,” but emphasized that his troops were “not only on the defensive,” but also advancing in different directions every day. "We've gained more positions lately than we've lost," Sysrky said.
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