Ukraine’s armed forces chief urges faster mobilization amid Russian offensive

Ukraine’s Armed Forces Chief Stresses Urgent Need to Boost Troop Numbers and Training

General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has emphasized the critical need for additional personnel to strengthen Kyiv’s defence against the ongoing Russian invasion.

Highlighting the imbalance in manpower, Syrskyi noted that Russia has a much larger pool of recruits and conscripts, enabling it to sustain heavy losses on the battlefield by deploying successive waves of troops, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“The enemy continues its offensive, so we have no choice but to strengthen our defence capabilities and reinforce our army in order to continue repelling the full-scale Russian aggression,” Syrskyi said in a Facebook update.

He stressed that the primary focus of Ukraine’s efforts is manpower rather than equipment. “The key focus of our efforts is not equipment, but people. Mobilization, recruiting, new contracts — and therefore high-quality training. In training our personnel, we cannot remain stagnant; we must develop and move forward.”

Syrskyi also emphasized the need to enhance the quality of basic military training. “The duration of basic combined military training has already been increased to 51 days,” he said. “In addition, there is specialized training and an adaptation period within the units. The demands of the time require us to improve this process, raise the level of instructors, and upgrade training center equipment so that in the end we have a truly combat-ready soldier.”

To mitigate risks from Russian attacks on training facilities, Syrskyi said that training is being moved further from the front lines, with army corps assigned to central and western Ukraine.

He also highlighted the need for improved safety measures at training centers. “I have stressed that the construction and equipping of shelters in training centers must be accelerated and require immediate organizational decisions. At some facilities, safety conditions are unsatisfactory! We have no right to neglect the safety of our service members. I issued the necessary orders to resolve these problematic issues,” he added.

By Vafa Guliyeva