Ukrainian Army Commander Faces Potential Resignation Amid Battlefield Setbacks

Ukrainian army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi may be forced to resign due to setbacks on the Ukrainian battlefield after deciding to deploy the most elite units to Russia’s Kursk region.

Former Ukrainian Interior Minister Yury Lutsenko stated that Ukraine has deployed its best units and equipment to Kursk, a border region of Russia, according to news agency TASS.

“The question is what about Donbass. Mr. Syrskyi will be held responsible in any case. He will be fired for this in any case,” Mr. Lutsenko said.

Ukraine launched a raid on Kursk province on August 6, surprising its Western allies and its own soldiers. It is estimated that Ukraine mobilized more than 12,000 troops, including elite units, along with armored vehicles donated by the West to carry out the raid.

In the early days, the Ukrainian army advanced quite quickly, controlling more than 1,000 square kilometers in just 2 weeks. However, the pace of the advance slowed down when Russia increased reinforcements to Kursk.

The aim of the Ukrainian offensive was to force Russia to divert resources from the Donbass front in eastern Ukraine, especially Pokrovsk. However, the intensity of Moscow’s offensive in Pokrovsk has not changed significantly. On the contrary, Russia continues to put pressure on Ukraine’s defenses.

This has led analysts to believe that the offensive could be a huge mistake for Ukraine, given its severe shortage of personnel and weapons. The Kursk operation risks collapsing Ukraine’s defenses, giving Russia the opportunity to take control of the entire east.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged NATO countries to put pressure on Russia to agree to Kiev’s peace terms this fall. He also called on Western countries to help arrange joint production of weapons on Ukrainian soil, including drones and missiles.

“To achieve this, we need funding, we are ready to quickly produce everything that will help us end the war, namely by putting pressure on Russia for real peace,” he said.

“Let this autumn be the time for Russia to reduce its provocations in a way that can end the conflict and restore a reliable international security order,” the Ukrainian leader added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out this week that by sending its best-equipped and most experienced units to Kursk, the Ukrainian army had “weakened” its position on other fronts.