Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said he held a meeting focused on strengthening defenses against Russian strike drones, particularly Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russian forces to target Ukrainian cities.
"I scheduled a meeting ... to sort it all out," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.
While Russia's main efforts remain concentrated on the Pokrovsk, Toretsk, and Lyman fronts in Donetsk Oblast, as well as in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy Oblast bordering Russia, Zaporizhzhia has seen an uptick in escalation, Syrskyi noted.
"Each drone means a destroyed enemy, and therefore a saved life of a Ukrainian serviceman. A special emphasis is placed on the destruction of enemy UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) operators and their command centers," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Shevchuk was dismissed as the commander of the 59th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces and replaced by Colonel Oleksandr Sak, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing its sources in the brigade.
Vadym Skibitskyi, the deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR), reported in March that Russia had deployed 620,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine, a rise from his previous estimate of nearly 580,000 in November 2024.
Pokrovsk, located about 70 kilometers northwest of Donetsk, remains one of the most fiercely contested sectors of the front, where Russia has concentrated its main offensive efforts since March.
Syrskyi said the successes underscored the need to further expand drone operations.
"In April, units of unmanned systems of the Ukrainian Defense Forces achieved decent results in destroying the enemy," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote.
"Intense fighting continues in Sumy Oblast in areas near the state border, as well as on the territory of the Russian Federation," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote.
The recently recaptured territory by Ukrainian troops includes areas near the settlements of Udachne, Kotlyne, and Shevchenko, according to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Russian soldiers used to fire around 40,000 rounds of ammunition daily, but a series of long-range attacks reduced this number to around 23,000, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
U.S. military assistance to Kyiv has decreased, with European countries now providing the main portion of aid, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with the LB.UA outlet published on April 9.
"A few days ago, our successful operations destroyed a Tu-22M3 bomber plane. Just as it landed, it was hit by our drone," Syrskyi said in the interview when discussing the impact of Ukraine's long-range drone strikes.
Combat data analyzed by CNN confirms a surge in Russian activity across the front line over the past two weeks.
Russia has increased its force in Ukraine "fivefold since the beginning of the aggression," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said, putting the number of Russian troops currently deployed in the country at 623,000.
For nearly a week, Russian offensive operations have almost doubled in all main sectors, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
The number of affected Russian targets is 10% higher than in February, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukraine's main tasks are holding defensive lines and stabilizing threats, which have been partially achieved, particularly in the Pokrovsk direction.
Bakhmut fell to Russian forces in late spring 2023. It would go on to be described as one of the bloodiest battles of the full-scale war.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the official response to the Kyiv Independent from Ukraine's General Staff, which came a few days after initial publication. Last February, a Ukrainian company commander going by his callsign Veter was ordered to send his people to reinforce another unit’s
Without confirming the withdrawal with a statement, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces posted the latest battlefield maps on social media, which showed a complete retreat from Sudzha.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi confirmed ongoing battles in the suburbs of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast and the surrounding areas.
Russian forces have made a breakthrough south of the Ukrainian-held town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast, potentially threatening to cut off some of the Ukrainian positions in the Russian region.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi noted that first-person-view (FPV) drones and multi-rotor bombers remain the most effective tools.
Russian troops are actively pushing on the Novopavlivka sector in eastern Donetsk Oblast, trying to break through Ukraine's defense and capture three settlements, according to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Keith Kellogg, U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, met with top Ukrainian military and government officials as part of his visit to the country that began on Feb. 19.
As Ukraine nears the fourth year of full-scale war with Russia, it is launching a major army reform aimed at improving its efficiency and organization on the battlefield. "We need the corps system," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 3, adding: "Today we discussed approaches to the appointment of corps
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi highlighted key military achievements during his first year in office, including long-range strikes, technological advancements, and NATO-standard training, in a Facebook post on Feb. 8.
According to Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, 66% of Russian equipment destroyed in January resulted from various types of Ukrainian attack drones.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi outlined Ukraine's key priorities, including holding defensive lines, preventing Russian advances, and enhancing the use of unmanned systems.
"In a short time, unfortunately, three shameful acts of violence occurred in different regions, in which servicemen were injured," Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said.
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