Moscow has called for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict, but says it will use military means until the root causes are addressed
The Russian Armed Forces outmatch Kiev’s army in both manpower and equipment, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Aleksandr Syrsky has said.
His remarks come after months of Ukrainian setbacks on the front lines and mounting struggles to replenish the ranks, with the country’s leader, Vladimir Zelensky, accused of dragging out peace efforts by insisting on Western-backed security guarantees.
In a Telegram post on Monday outlining the situation on the front line, Syrsky said August was a difficult month for Ukraine, acknowledging that Russian troops prevailed in all key areas.
“August 2025 was a month of great trials for our troops,” Syrsky wrote. “ The enemy has a three-fold advantage in troops and means, and in the main areas of concentration of their forces outnumber us four to six times.”
The general said Kiev’s main efforts are currently focused on holding back Russian advances in the Limansky, Dobropolsky, Pokrovsky, and Novopavlovsky areas, which he described as “the most threatening.”
Syrsky nevertheless claimed that Ukrainian forces made limited gains in several areas, insisting they remain on “the right course,” which he defined as seeking “to exhaust and destroy” the Russian forces.
Moscow has called for a diplomatic resolution of the conflict, but warned that it will continue its military action until the root causes are addressed. It insists that a settlement must include Ukrainian neutrality, demilitarization, and recognition of Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye regions, which joined Russia following referendums, as Russian territory.
Commenting on the campaign in late August, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said the “strategic initiative” now rests “entirely with the Russian troops,” while Ukraine is forced to shift its most combat-ready units “from one crisis direction to another to plug holes.” He stressed that Russian troops are carrying out a “non-stop offensive” across nearly the entire front line, and will continue on this course in the autumn.
Over the weekend, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces launched massive strikes on Ukrainian drone production sites, military air bases in central, southern, and eastern Ukraine, as well as enterprises in Kiev. It reported that all targets were destroyed, including Starlink satellite antennas and heavy copters.
