Syrskyj: Russian spring and summer offensive in 2025 has failed

Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrskyj stated that Russia's spring and summer offensive in 2025 had failed. Although Russia used twice as much artillery as Ukraine on the battlefield, Moscow's plans to create buffer zones in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, occupy the entire Donetsk region, or capture the city of Pokrovsk had failed.

Syrskyj described Russian tactics as a series of small infantry attacks by groups of four to six soldiers attempting to penetrate deep into difficult terrain and wooded areas. In August, Ukrainian forces managed to set up an ambush near Dobropillia and stop Russian units.

Over the past two months, the Ukrainian military has hit 85 military targets on Russian territory, including air bases, warehouses, and production facilities. Syrskyj said that Russia's plans to achieve results similar to those in 2022 had been significantly disrupted and that the front line remained extremely difficult for both sides.

US President Donald Trump has changed his rhetoric, saying that Ukraine could recapture lost territory, but is shifting a significant portion of support to European allies.

Russia, on the other hand, is pushing for early peace talks, which Kyiv rejects, arguing that this would be tantamount to surrender.

(reuters, sie)