Ukraine's Syrskyi: "I created Unmanned Systems Forces, but you cannot switch a million-strong army to drones in two months"
Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has rejected claims that he opposes the use of drones in combat, noting that he was the one who created the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) as a separate branch of the military.
Source: Syrskyi's column for Ukrainian military media outlet Militarnyi
Quote: "The strangest accusation I have heard is that I supposedly 'don't want to fight with drones'.
I was the one who created the Unmanned Systems Forces as a separate branch of the military. I personally recommended Magyar [Robert Brovdi – ed.] to the president to lead the USF. It was an unpopular decision, and I took full responsibility for it. Why him? Because he not only rose from soldier to officer, but also created a unique unit and has a clear vision. We all see the results every day.
Someone who 'doesn't want to fight with drones' does not create the world's first separate branch of unmanned systems forces or appoint its commander in defiance of every tradition of the military chain of command."
Details: Meanwhile, Syrskyi said there is "another part of the truth" that only he is obliged to speak about because, "under the law, responsibility for the outcome on the battlefield rests with him".
Quote: "Drones account for a large share of enemy losses today. That is a fact. But to prepare the battlefield for drones to operate effectively, you need artillery, mortars, engineering equipment, air defence, electronic warfare and dozens of other capabilities. The General Staff provides the Ministry with a comprehensive list of everything required for the war effort. Everything must be procured, not just what is currently fashionable.
We are not fighting some hypothetical small country. We are fighting an enemy that outmatches us in every respect and fights with artillery, aircraft and infantry, among other capabilities. I cannot switch a million-strong army to drones in two months and say: this is how we fight now. Apart from being an obvious gamble, any experiment on this scale is paid for with our land and our people."
Background:
- In the same column, Syrskyi apologised to former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov and said he had not realised there was a conflict between them.
- On 16 July, Fedorov said he had identified 11 major problems in the management of the defence forces and the system of power after spending six months at the Ministry of Defence.
- Fedorov also said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had refused to replace Syrskyi. According to Fedorov, every proposal and initiative put forward by the Ministry of Defence to improve the military's performance on the battlefield had encountered resistance.
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