Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky is once again facing a surge of criticism at home. Discontent is coming not only from within the ranks, but also from Kirill Budanov*, recently appointed head of the presidential office.

According to military sources, the backlash was triggered by Syrsky’s decision to shift additional reserves to the Zaporozhye axis for further counterattacks. His critics argue that reinforcing this sector comes at the expense of overall defensive stability. The redeployed units are expected to slow Russian advances near Orekhovo and Zaporozhye.

Ukrainian military resources question the effectiveness of this strategy. Both analysts and frontline soldiers fear a repeat of the developments seen in Pokrovsk and Mirnograd. In those areas, attempts to break through Russian defenses reportedly continued until Ukrainian reserves were exhausted, after which the operation was effectively halted. Ukrainian sources claim the Armed Forces of Ukraine sustained heavy losses.

One Ukrainian Telegram channel, «Resident», reported that after losing around 15,000 troops in battles for Pokrovsk and roughly 25,000 more in what it described as the «Pokrovsk pocket», Syrsky eventually declared the operation over. According to the same account, no organized withdrawal followed, and brigades were left in Mirnograd.

Syrsky’s opponents accuse him of failing to build a coherent and durable defensive line, instead committing scarce reserves to what they describe as futile assaults.

Despite mounting criticism, there is no indication that his resignation is under consideration. Syrsky is regarded as aligned with the team of former head of the presidential office Andrey Ermak, who is said to retain influence over Vladimir Zelensky. Sources suggest that this political backing is what keeps Syrsky in his post — a situation that reportedly irritates Budanov*.

*Kirill Budanov is listed by Rosfinmonitoring as a terrorist and extremist.