The Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, confirmed for the first time that the main forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' offensive reserve have not yet been engaged in combat with Russia. He noted that Ukrainian defenders are conducting reconnaissance in combat, identifying enemy weaknesses.

Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke about the situation at the front in an exclusive interview with The Guardian. According to him, the situation in the east is "difficult and tense" and the enemy should not be underestimated.

Syrskyi, who led the defence of Kyiv last spring and shocked the world with a counter-offensive that liberated vast swathes of northeastern Ukraine in the autumn, said that we need to be patient.

"Everyone wants to achieve a great victory instantly and immediately. And so do we. But we have to be prepared for the fact that this process will take some time, because there are a lot of forces, a lot of material resources and a lot of engineering obstacles on both sides," the Ukrainian Army commander said.

Syrskyi stressed that the main battles are still ahead.

"I would like to say that our main forces have not yet entered into combat operations, and we are now looking for weaknesses in the enemy's defence. Everything is still ahead," said the colonel general.

According to Syrskyi, the situation in the east is "difficult and tense", and Russia has moved key forces there from the south.

"The Russians are trying to seize the initiative. So the situation is really difficult. We should not underestimate the enemy. The enemy has foreseen and is anticipating the most dangerous areas of our movements and is building a powerful defence there, which is quite difficult to break through," explained the commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

However, Syrskyi stressed that the morale and training of the Ukrainian army make him confident that the Armed Forces will overcome all obstacles and difficulties and ultimately achieve victory over the Russian occupiers.

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have for the first time liberated the territory that was in the "grey zone" before the full-scale invasion

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