Ukraine war: Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi, the man behind Kyiv's renewed offensive

Look up Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi online, and you volition spot him described arsenic "the astir palmy wide of the 21st Century truthful far".

It's a batch to unrecorded up to.

Gen Syrskyi led the defence of Kyiv astatine the commencement of Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine past year. He was the mastermind down Ukraine's astonishment and palmy counter-attack successful Kharkiv past summer. Now, he's overseeing its renewed violative arsenic the caput of subject operations successful eastbound Ukraine - 1 of Ukraine's 2 main axes.

We conscionable astatine a concealed determination beside the bid conveyance helium uses to sojourn his troops and support an oculus connected the battle. On apical is simply a almighty instrumentality gun. Inside, a ample surface displays aggregate unrecorded video feeds of the battlefield from hundreds of drones.

We ticker a provender of the heavy shell-scarred fields astir Bakhmut, wherever immoderate of his troops are trying to instrumentality backmost ground. I inquire him if it's his extremity to recapture the city? He smiles and says: "Yes, of course. I effort to bash it."

But adjacent helium admits that, much than a period since it started, Ukraine's long-awaited violative connected aggregate fronts is going slower than galore had hoped.

"We'd similar to get precise accelerated results," Gen Syrskyi says. "But successful world it's practically impossible."

He says adjacent successful the east, the country is saturated with mines and antiaircraft barriers. The Russians, helium says, person galore strongholds: "Therefore, our advances are truly not going arsenic accelerated arsenic we would like."

But Gen Syrskyi believes Ukraine inactive has 1 chiseled advantage.

"I judge the unity of our subject enactment and our soldiers' spot successful each different is simply a beardown constituent of our army."

That's successful stark opposition to Russia's subject hierarchy, which appears to beryllium suffering from infighting, with elder officers being removed from command.

Gen Syrskyi is lionised by those astir him, who respect his commitment, determination and cunning. Relaxation is simply a regular league successful the gym. He sleeps for conscionable four-and-a-half hours a night.

To the southbound and northbound of Bakhmut, Ukraine says it has retaken astir 30 sq km (about 12 sq miles) of territory from the Russians.

Ukraine's lawman defence minister, Hanna Maliar, told america that Russian forces successful the metropolis would soon beryllium trapped. But artillery shells were inactive raining down connected 1 Ukrainian presumption we visited conscionable 3km from the city.

Alex, 1 of the soldiers from Ukraine's 57th Brigade, describes the concern arsenic "tense".

He points to a ample crater created by a Russian artillery ammunition from earlier that morning. It landed conscionable a fewer metres from his trench.

Shortly after, we excessively had to tally for cover.

Far distant from the shelling, commanders successful a heavy bunker are co-ordinating the efforts to recapture Bakhmut.

Two months ago, erstwhile I was past here, Ukraine was losing crushed and successful information of being encircled. Now, the tables person turned.

Col Oleksandr Bakulin, commandant of the 57th Brigade, tells maine it's present the Russians who are successful trouble.

He says helium doesn't underestimate his enemy, but that the regular Russian troops helium present faces are not similar Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries who yet captured the metropolis earlier this year.

Wagner, helium says, "were uncomfortable enemies… they were sidesplitting for the involvement of killing".

"If we enactment successful a spot of effort, Bakhmut could beryllium encircled," Col Bakulin says. Contrary to accepted subject wisdom, helium besides says his casualties successful the violative are less than erstwhile his portion was static, defending the city.

Moving forward, albeit slowly, helium says has besides boosted morale truthful "the losses are easier to bear".

For the archetypal clip connected the eastbound front, the numbers of Ukrainian forces present lucifer those of Russian troops - astir 160,000. However, Ukraine is inactive outgunned by Russian artillery.

Could the dynamics alteration with the accomplishment of US-supplied clump munitions, which incorporate dozens of tiny bombs that tin beryllium sprayed retired implicit a wider area? More than a 100 countries person banned them.

Col Bakulin says they're needed to "inflict maximum harm connected force infantry". "The much infantry who dice here, the much their relatives backmost successful Russia volition inquire their authorities 'why?'"

But, helium adds: "I can't accidental that clump bombs volition lick each our problems connected the battlefield."

He besides acknowledges they're a arguable weapon: "If the Russians didn't usage them, possibly conscience would not let america to bash it too."

Gen Syrskyi confirmed that US clump munitions had present arrived successful Ukraine and would beryllium acceptable to usage wrong days. We saw the US-supplied M777 howitzers, which volition occurrence the shells, already successful presumption astir Bakhmut.

The wide says the city's recapture would person much than conscionable symbolic value. He argues Bakhmut is besides of strategical value - arsenic the gateway to different cardinal cities successful the region.

But, helium says: "Our radical hold for victories. They request tiny victories."