Turning point in war with Russia has not yet come: Ukraine's army chief explains what it takes
Photo: Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi (facebook.com/CinCAFofUkraine)
It is still too early to speak of a turning point in the war. Still, Ukraine is seeking to exhaust the enemy's resources to a critical level, Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated in an interview with The Times.
When a turning point in the fighting could occur
The general said he is not yet prepared to declare a decisive shift in the war.
Instead, Ukraine's Defense Forces hope to push Russia toward what military theorist Clausewitz called the "culminating point" — the moment when enemy forces reach peak, followed by an inevitable halt and exhaustion. A turning point could follow after that.
"I can’t say outright that the war is approaching a turning point," Syrskyi said.
Ukraine's strategic goals and the role of technology
The commander-in-chief outlined the Ukrainian military's key objectives at the current stage of the war:
- Holding and defending Ukrainian territory and positions;
- Inflicting personnel losses that Russia cannot replace through mobilization quickly enough;
- Disrupting Russian logistics using medium-range drones;
- Striking Russia's energy infrastructure and defense-industrial complex to weaken the Russian economy.
At the same time, Syrskyi warned that this window of opportunity is limited, as sudden technological breakthroughs by either side could dramatically change the battlefield situation.
According to him, modern warfare is a continuous competition of technology, resources, and the development of countermeasures against new weapons.
Russian losses and Ukraine's drone advantage
Earlier, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Russia is unable to replenish its battlefield losses through mobilization.
Since the beginning of 2026, Ukraine's Defense Forces have neutralized more than 183,000 Russian troops, while the Kremlin has reportedly managed to recruit only about 180,000 personnel during the same period. Killed soldiers account for more than 60% of all Russian battlefield losses, he said.
Unmanned systems continue to play a major role in destroying Russian personnel and equipment. Syrskyi has stated that Ukraine holds an advantage over Russia in drone warfare and outnumbers Russian forces in FPV drones by a ratio of 1.5 to 1.
In May alone, Ukrainian drone units struck nearly 180,000 verified enemy targets and destroyed 4,000 Shahed-type kamikaze drones.
