Syrskyi: Britain prepares proposals for strikes deep into Russia as part of victory plan

Britain is considering its own proposals regarding Ukraine’s ability to strike military targets deep within Russia, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said on 16 October.

Syrskyi said on Telegram after the phone call with the UK Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, that the proposals are being developed as part of a victory plan.

Ukraine has been urging allies for months to lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons against targets within Russia. The restriction doesn’t allow Ukraine to strike Russian logistics and airfields, allowing Russia to exert greater pressure on the frontline, in particular by massively using glide bombs.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented his victory plan to US officials in late September. One key focus is obtaining approval for the use of long-range weapons against targets inside Russia.

Syrskyi also briefed his British counterpart on the current battlefield situation during the call.

“The British side is working on its proposals (striking Russian military facilities in operational and strategic depth) as part of the practical implementation of the victory plan,” Syrskyi said.

The Commander-in-Chief also highlighted Russia’s violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes, including strikes on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure and indiscriminate massive attacks on civilian objects.

Syrskyi said that the main priorities for Ukraine-UK cooperation remain the supply of military equipment and weapons, personnel training, and improving the effectiveness of high-tech weapons. In particular, Britain is considering deploying troops to Ukraine to train new soldiers in “secluded” areas, potentially shifting some training operations from the UK to Ukrainian soil.

A group of 17 high-ranking American and British officials signed in early September an open letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lemmy, urging them to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied weapons for strikes deep into Russian territory.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that a decision on lifting restrictions for Ukraine on the use of Western long-range weapons against military targets on Russian territory “may be made before the start of winter.”

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