Ukraine's Former Top General Makes Shock Claim Russia's Ability To Advance Has Been 'Broken'

Russia's army has managed to seize only 61 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory in the first six months of 2026 despite suffering what Ukraine claims are enormous daily losses, the country's former commander‑in‑chief has said, arguing that Moscow's ability to advance has been 'broken'.

In his first interview since being removed from his post this summer, Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi said the limited Russian gains were 'an indication that the front line has been stabilised'. The figure could not be independently verified.

He said Moscow's problem was not a lack of firepower but the scale of its casualties. He claimed Russia was losing about 1,500 soldiers a day and that its overall losses were six times Ukraine's. 'If you count only dead, then it's up to 11 times,' he said. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv publishes full death tolls, and none of the figures could be verified.

Gen Syrskyi stopped short of claiming victory. He said it was 'definitely difficult' to say whether Ukraine was winning or losing, adding that the country had been fighting for nearly five years against an opponent that outmatched it 'in literally every respect'. Holding the line, he argued, was already an achievement.

Axed After Public Row Over Drones

Gen Syrskyi, who was born in Russia, was appointed commander‑in‑chief in 2024. He was credited with helping to defend Kyiv in 2022 and with the counteroffensive that retook much of the Kharkiv region later that year.

He was dismissed in July 2026 amid a public row with the then defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, and anger over heavy losses in the east. Mr Fedorov had accused the army under Gen Syrskyi of obstructing new digital and drone programmes.

President Volodymyr Zelensky initially sacked Mr Fedorov, but street protests then led him to remove Gen Syrskyi too. He was replaced by 43‑year‑old Maj Gen Mykhailo Drapatyi.

Critics described Gen Syrskyi as an 'old school' Soviet‑trained officer ill‑suited to a technological war. He rejected the label.

He said that under his command Ukraine had greatly expanded its use of drones, including strikes more than 2,000km inside Russia, and had created the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the military. He claimed drones now accounted for about 80 per cent of Russian losses, a figure that also could not be verified.

He in turn criticised Mr Fedorov, saying the former minister had created an 'imbalance' in supply by prioritising drones over basic equipment such as unmanned ground vehicles, pick‑up trucks and motorbikes. Even for drones, he said, the army received only about half of what it needed. The defence ministry has not publicly responded to the claims.

'At Any Cost' Orders and the Kursk Gamble

Gen Syrskyi also addressed accusations from soldiers who served under him. They have told the BBC they were ordered to hold positions 'at any cost' around Avdiivka, Vuhledar and Pokrovsk, even when nearly encircled, causing heavy losses.

He did not deny that units had sometimes been left in difficult positions. He said Ukraine faced an enemy that could often field up to six times as many troops, along with far more aircraft, bombs and artillery.

He defended the 2024 incursion into Russia's Kursk region, which ended in a retreat the following spring and which some soldiers called a fiasco. It was 'a necessity', he said, because it forced Moscow to divert forces from the main front and gave exhausted Ukrainian brigades time to regroup.

Stark Warning to Europe Over Future of the War

Gen Syrskyi said the war would become more technological, with more robots, automated systems and artificial intelligence in conventional weapons. Both sides, he said, were racing to develop active protection systems for tanks and other armour.

He argued the human factor would nonetheless remain decisive, because people still have to control the equipment. He urged European governments to start preparing now and to 'drop all illusions' that the war would not eventually reach them.