Ukraine-Russia conflict: Kyiv vows deeper strikes on Moscow; 'will increase scale and depth,' says army chief

Ukraine’s top military commander has pledged to intensify attacks on Russian territory, insisting that Kyiv will only target military infrastructure.

“Of course, we will continue. We will increase the scale and depth,” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said on Sunday.

Syrsky described the strikes as “effective” and said Ukraine would not remain passive in the face of continued aggression. “We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories,” he said, quoted by AFP.


His comments come amid a standstill in peace efforts. The last face-to-face talks between Ukraine and Russia took place nearly three weeks ago, with no follow-up discussions planned.

Syrsky also acknowledged Russia’s edge in drone warfare, pointing to Moscow’s use of fibre-optic drones that are difficult to jam. “Here, unfortunately, they have an advantage in both the number and range of their use,” he noted.

The commander further claimed that Ukrainian forces still hold 90 square kilometres of territory inside Russia’s Kursk region, despite Moscow’s assertion in April that it had regained full control. Kyiv launched a cross-border incursion into the area last August.

“These are our preemptive actions in response to a possible enemy offensive,” Syrsky explained.

Russia currently occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine, including four regions it claims to have annexed since its 2022 invasion, along with Crimea, seized in 2014.

Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately stalling peace efforts to prolong its offensive and grab more land.