The Armed Forces of Ukraine have revised their military strategy, abandoning the priority of liberating the occupied territories.
According to a Ukrainian Armed Forces officer quoted by Bild, the main goal of the Ukrainian army is now to maximize the destruction of the Russian military with minimal losses for Ukraine.
The officer said: "Our goal is to achieve the highest possible positive kill ratio."
This means the ratio of Ukrainian army losses to enemy losses.
"If the ratio is 10 to 1 in our favor, we will continue the offensive, if it is 1 to 1, we will retreat," he added.
Another soldier also confirmed the change in strategy:
"There is no pressure now, so we just want to maximize the enemy's losses. Positions don't matter, the main thing is that most Ukrainians remain alive," he commented to the publication.
The former Western military officer described what is happening as "essentially a controlled retreat with a fight" in a comment to Bild.
He emphasized that the strategy is to create a minefield where the Ukrainian army will cause maximum damage to Russian troops and equipment. After that, the troops will retreat, allowing Russian forces to enter the next prepared minefield.
A military adviser evaluating the strategy said it is based on "the hope of reaching a culmination point at which the Russian offensive will fail."
According to him, the return of territories will become a priority only if Russian forces suffer significant losses or if "game-changing weapons" such as ATACMS or Taurus cruise missiles, as well as F-16 or JAS 39 fighters appear.
Background. As reported, ISW confirmed Bild's information about Russia's intentions to wage war until 2026 and seize new territories of Ukraine. According to ISW, a sudden cessation of Western aid would sooner or later lead to the collapse of Ukraine's ability to deter Russian forces.