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New contracts, the Gulyaypol incident and Russia's losses. Key statements by Syrsky

New contracts, the Gulyaypol incident and Russia's losses. Key statements by Syrsky

30 December 2025, 09:20

New contracts, the Gulyaypol incident and Russia's losses. Key statements by Syrsky — Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Syrskyi

Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported a threefold increase in payments under new contracts, an investigation into the incident with the command post in Gulyaypol, and large-scale losses in the Russian army that disrupted its plans to form new divisions.

The Ministry of Defence, together with the General Staff, is finalising new contracts for servicemen. According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the salaries will be at least three times higher than they are now. At the same time, bonuses and other additional payments will remain. The contracts will provide for clearly defined terms of service. The document is at the final stage and is under the personal control of the President. The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said this in an interview with Channel 24

Incident in Gulyaypol

The Military Law Enforcement Service is investigating an incident during which Russian military personnel managed to enter the command post of one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces battalions in the Gulyaypol direction. According to Syrsky, this happened due to the withdrawal of units and poor defence organisation. The military's belongings, flags, equipment and materials with potentially confidential information remained at the post, although there was an order to destroy everything valuable

The Commander-in-Chief noted that the 102nd Brigade of the Tank Corps could not withstand the enemy's pressure, after which it was necessary to redeploy assault units, which fought to regain their positions. At present, the 225th Assault Regiment is holding the defence in Gulyaypol, the situation has stabilised and the battalion command's actions are being legally assessed

Russia's losses and problems with the formation of divisions

According to Syrsky, the Russian army loses about 1,000 people at the front every day. Because of this, the Kremlin's plans to create 14 new divisions in 2025 have failed. In fact, only 7 have been formed, with two marine divisions having only one regiment each, and the rest postponed until next year. Russia is forced to transfer personnel from understaffed units directly to the frontline. In some areas, the ratio of losses reaches 6 to 8 to 1, not in favour of the Russian Federation

Photo: Facebook of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

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