KYIV, UKRAINE   -   The Ukrainian army needs to change its “methods” to win the war against Russia, Ky­iv’s new commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Friday in his first comments in the role. The 58-year-old replaced commander Valery Zalu­zhny this week in the biggest shake-up of Ukraine’s military leadership since Russia’s in­vasion began nearly two years ago. The veteran general fac­es a myriad of problems in his in-tray, not least of which a 1,000-kilometre (600 mile) deadlocked frontline that has barely moved in over a year of fighting. “Only changes and continuous improvement in the means and methods of warfare will allow us to suc­ceed on this path,” Syrsky said in a social media post. The army needs “clear and de­tailed planning”, he said, “tak­ing into account the needs of the frontline for the latest weapons supplied by inter­national partners”. Ukraine’s allies, particularly Washing­ton and Brussels, are strug­gling to keep up aid packages that have so far allowed Kyiv to hold out against Russia. Syrsky is taking over the mil­itary at a time of uncertainty over what resources will be available and as Russia puts its economy on a war footing, ramping up production and recruitment. Despite success­es on the battlefield, Syrsky is not a national icon like Zalu­zhny, and he has a reputation for being indifferent to mili­tary casualties. He appeared to address this characterisa­tion in his statement, saying: “The lives and well-being of our servicemen have always been and remain the main as­set of the Ukrainian army”. The Kremlin earlier on Fri­day downplayed the impact Ukraine’s military shake-up would have on the battlefield.