Russia's offensive ability is broken, Kyiv's former top general tells BBC

Under his military leadership, however, Ukrainian troops undertook chaotic withdrawals from the eastern cities of Avdiivka and Vuhledar, and from around Pokrovsk. Soldiers who spoke to the BBC in the past complained that they were ordered to remain at their positions at any costs. By the time they were told to pull back, it was often too late as they were almost surrounded by Russian troops.Syrskyi does not deny that such situations occur on the front line. But he told the BBC that Ukraine was fighting against a far more powerful army. In 2025, the ratio of jets and bombs was 18 to one in Moscow's favour, he said. In the same year, Russia had two-and-a-half times more artillery pieces and shells than Ukraine. And with four million militarily trained men who they can mobilise, Russian forces can create chances to push through, he argued.One of Syrskyi's most famous operations was an incursion into Russia's Kursk region that started in August 2024. It ended with a dramatic retreat the following spring, which some soldiers described as "catastrophic". Syrskyi, however, insisted that the Kursk operation was "a necessity"."In the summer 2024, Russian forces were pushing along all main d...