Ukraine has a realistic plan to get back Crimea, Syrskyi says. A series of Russian attacks on Kharkiv and the surrounding region kill three and damage the office of a Swiss mine-clearing NGO. EU Permanent Representations approve the first 4.2 euro instalment under the Ukraine Facility plan.
Ukraine has realistic plan to get back Crimea, Syrskyi says
In an interview with the Guardian released on Wednesday, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine had a realistic plan to get back Crimea.
He said Kyiv had a plan to get back Crimea, more than a decade after Vladimir Putin illegally annexed it. Was this really feasible? “It’s realistic. Of course, it’s a big military secret,” the general said. He continued: “We will do everything we can to reach the internationally recognised borders of 1991 [when Ukraine voted for independence from the USSR]. We have to win … to liberate our citizens who are in the occupied territories, who are suffering.”
“But I know that we will win. I know how I have to do it. And I’m sure that we will do it,” he said.
Russia’s successes, meanwhile, came at a staggering human cost. The Kremlin’s casualties were “three times” higher than Ukraine’s, and “even more” in certain directions, Syrskyi said. “Their number of killed is much bigger,” he emphasised.
Syrskyi contrasted his battlefield tactics with those used by Russian commanders, who are known for sacrificing huge numbers of infantry troops to gain “100 to 200 metres”. “It’s very important for us to save the lives of our soldiers. We don’t defend ruins to the death,” Syrskyi said.
Two and half years into Vladimir Putin’s full-scale onslaught, he acknowledges the Russians are much better resourced. They have more of everything: tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, soldiers. Their original 100,000-strong invasion force has grown to 520,000, he said, with a goal by the end of 2024 of 690,000 men.
Earlier this week, Syrskyi commented on how to win outnumbered. He said: “What should we do and what can we do to hold back the enemy’s advance while fighting outnumbered? Here’s the only answer: effective fire suppression of the enemy’s main forces and its reserves far from the front lines; comprehensive suppression of the enemy near the front line; steadily holding the engineered lines and positions; using all possibilities of weapons and ammunition, in which we have an upper hand, especially combat drones.”
Ukrainian troops should also seek new ways to destroy the enemy’s reconnaissance drones, using electronic warfare systems and FPV drones, Syrskyi said.
Quality training of service members and preparation of headquarters at all levels are key to fully using combat capabilities and minimizing losses, he added.
Series of Russian attacks on Kharkiv, surrounding region kill three, damage office of Swiss mine-clearing NGO
Russia launched a series of attacks on Kharkiv and the surrounding region on Wednesday, killing three people, wounding at least six and damaging the office of a Swiss mine-clearing NGO, local officials said.
Regional police said a strike on the town of Lozova, south of Kharkiv, killed three people and injured six, with rescue operations proceeding into the evening.
The head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Synehubov, said an overnight strike destroyed the facade of the Fondation suisse de déminage’s (FSD) office and the ceilings of several of its floors. Six cars used by the organization were damaged, he said, noting the importance of demining initiatives in the region.
Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov said there had been five separate strikes on the city since Russia’s overnight attack.
The latest one hit an industrial area and injured six people, he said. Police said unspecified infrastructure was destroyed in this attack.
Synehubov reported new strikes late in the evening, but there were no reports on casualties or damage.
A morning strike hit a natural park in the suburbs of Kharkiv, igniting a fire in the stalls. The fire spread, covering an area of 1,500 square meters, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. Two men were injured. The horses were moved to safety.
EU Permanent Representations approve first 4.2 euro instalment under Ukraine Facility plan
EU Permanent Representations approved a first instalment under the Ukraine Facility plan on Wednesday, paving the way for the transfer of nearly EUR 4.2 billion to support Ukraine’s macro-financial stability and the functioning of its public administration, the Hungarian Presidency of the EU Council said on X.
As a next step, the EU Council will move ahead with a written procedure.
On July 17, the European Commission gave a positive assessment for the first regular payment under the EU’s Ukraine Facility program. Under the Ukraine Facility, the country will receive up to EUR 50 billion in grants and loans between 2024 and 2027.
Regular quarterly payments under the Ukraine Facility are conditional on Ukraine meeting pre-agreed requirements. The Commission has concluded that Ukraine has satisfactorily fulfilled the nine reform indicators linked to the payment.
The Audit Board will monitor the spending under the plan.
How Ukraine is ensuring energy sustainability during the war. Ukraine in Flames #641
Since mid-May, Ukraine has returned to blackout schedules for both domestic consumers and businesses. Russia resumed large-scale shelling of the energy industry, destroying 9 GW of Ukrainian generation over the past three months. In the winter of 2022-2023, Russian attacks were mostly aimed at damaging the transportation infrastructure, specifically the main high-voltage networks. A characteristic feature of this year’s spring destruction of the Ukrainian energy industry was the targeted attacks on generating facilities, mostly thermal and hydroelectric power stations. Watch Ukraine in Flames #641 to find out about ensuring Ukraine’s energy security during wartime, as well as the plans and priorities for restoring and developing generating capacities.
Guests:
- Lana Zerkal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine in 2014-2019, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
- Yuriy Kostenko, Minister of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine (1995-1998), Representative of Ukraine in the Board of Governors of the IAEA (1995)
- Oleksandr Dombrovskyi, Chairman of the Board of the 100% RE Ukraine platform