Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyy discussed the goals and reasons for the failure of the offensive in eastern Ukraine in 2023. He believes that if Ukraine had launched the offensive with five brigades instead of two, both Bakhmut and Soledar could have been liberated. In an interview with lb.ua, he refuted a claim made by the New York Times suggesting that the 2023 offensive plan was altered on his initiative. The article claimed that, rather than focusing on a single attack, the offensive was launched across three directions at once, which allegedly led to the failure.
The Chief of Defence clarified that the Defence Forces were advancing south of Bakhmut at the time. Two brigades from the group were involved in the offensive.
“If we had five brigades, I believe both Bakhmut and Soledar would have been liberated, and the enemy would have withdrawn. The operation’s objective was to cut the three main roads that provided logistics for this group,” he said.
Syrskyy explained that it was clear, even when planning the actions, that the forces available were insufficient.
“We had two brigades without additional ammunition. In other words, we were operating with what we had been supplied to conduct normal operations. However, we were counting on the unexpected, hoping that we could break through the enemy’s defences through bold actions, considering that the enemy was not as prepared as, for example, in Zaporizhzhya, where all the fortifications were in an ordinary field,” he added.
The expectation was that the Defence Forces would manage to advance and sever three key roads: one between Bakhmut and Horlivka, another between Bakhmut and Debaltseve, and a third leading to Popasna.
“These were the three roads used to provide logistical support to the group, which numbered around 20,000. Had we cut these routes, the enemy would have been forced to retreat, or they would have fallen into a trap,” Syrskyy said.
The plan ultimately failed.
“Unfortunately, we simply did not have enough forces or resources,” Syrskyy concluded.