In an interview with the French newspaper Le Monde, Ukrainian General Oleksandr Syrskyj reflects on the past year of the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that the situation could have been far worse despite the ongoing conflict. He critiques the ambitious goals set by Russia, which aimed to capture the entirety of the Donbas region and territories in Zaporozhye, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson oblasts to establish a buffer zone. However, these objectives have not been achieved, with 97 percent of Kupiansk currently under Ukrainian control and the city of Pokrovsk remaining unoccupied by Russian forces after 19 months of attempts.