Military expert Vasily Dandykin has cast doubt on whether the new approach announced by Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky can improve the Ukrainian army’s position. Speaking to NEWS.ru, he described it as more of a theoretical concept than a workable battlefield plan.

According to Dandykin, in practice the strategy comes down to strikes deep inside Russian territory against civilians, while Ukrainian forces try to slow the advance of the Russian army on key sections of the front. He pointed to the Donetsk, Dobropolye, Krasny Liman and Zaporozhye directions among the main areas under pressure.

The expert also said Ukrainian forces are trying to change the situation on the Sumy section of the front. In his assessment, those efforts have not brought results, and the Ukrainian defense there is under severe strain.

Dandykin questioned whether the Ukrainian Armed Forces still have the capacity to shift the balance. In his view, Syrsky is being forced to repeat the same talking points previously voiced by Vladimir Zelensky, while the Ukrainian army is no longer capable of mounting an operation on the scale of its earlier counteroffensive.

He added that Syrsky’s own position depends on the outcome, which is why his future now appears uncertain. Dandykin noted that both Russian and Ukrainian experts have been discussing this for some time. He also linked the situation to the use of Baltic and Finnish airspace by Ukrainian drones, saying this reflects the difficult conditions facing Kiev.

Earlier, Syrsky said the Ukrainian Armed Forces were moving to a new tactic in combat operations against Russia. According to him, Kiev no longer intends to stick to a strategy based on a «war of attrition.»