Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, Ukraine's former commander-in-chief, told the BBC in his first interview since his removal from post this summer that Russia's offensive capacity has collapsed due to unsustainable casualties.
Syrskyi claimed that Moscow's total losses in the war are six times higher than Ukraine's, or eleven times higher if counting only the dead. He stated that Russia seized just 61 square kilometers in the first six months of 2026, and that the front line has stabilised. The Institute for Study of War confirmed this assessment, reporting in September 2026 that Russia lost more territory than it gained that month.
Syrskyi attributed the stalemate to three factors: disparate casualty rates, Ukrainian technological advances, and a strategy of attacking weak points in Russian lines while containing Russian advances elsewhere.
President Volodymyr Zelensky fired Syrskyi in the summer following a public disagreement with then-defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Syrskyi told the BBC that Fedorov "didn't take into consideration the interests of the army" in weapons procurement, creating supply imbalances by prioritizing drones while neglecting front-line equipment such as unmanned ground vehicles and trucks. Zelensky initially dismissed Fedorov, but street protests forced him to remove Syrskyi as well, replacing him with Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi. Fedorov, a popular young minister known for digital initiatives, had contrasted with Syrskyi in the eyes of critics who saw him as too "old school" for modern warfare.
Syrskyi disputed this characterisation. Under his command, drone usage reached unprecedented levels, including strikes over 2,000 kilometers behind enemy lines. Ukraine created the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate military branch under his leadership, and he stated drones now account for 80 percent of Russia's losses.
Syrskyi also pushed back against soldiers' allegations that they were ordered to hold positions even when nearly surrounded, leading to high casualties. He acknowledged such situations occur but attributed them to Ukraine facing a vastly more powerful adversary. In 2025, Russia enjoyed an 18-to-one advantage in jets and bombs, held two-and-a-half times more artillery, and could mobilise four million trained troops.
The general defended the August 2024 Kursk offensive as necessary. Russian forces then outnumbered Ukrainian troops six-to-one along the front, he said, and the incursion disrupted Moscow's offensive and forced it to redirect forces, allowing Ukrainian brigades in the east and south to recover.
Syrskyi warned European allies to prepare for conflict with Russia, calling on them to "drop all illusions" that war will not reach them. He predicted Ukraine's conflict will become increasingly technological, incorporating robots, automated systems, and artificial intelligence.