Oleksandr Syrskyi

Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi is a Ukrainian military officer holding the rank of four-star general who has served as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since. Previously, he was the commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces from 2019 to 2024, and the commander of the Joint Forces Operation from May to August 2019.
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Syrskyi commanded the defence of Kyiv. In September 2022, he commanded the Kharkiv counteroffensive. He then led the defense of Bakhmut into 2023.

𝕏 CinC_AFU

Early life and career

Syrskyi was born on 26 July 1965 in the village of, Vladimir Oblast, Russian SFSR, into a military family, the son of Lyudmila and Stanislav Syrskyi. As of 2023, his parents and brother live in Russia. In 1980, when Syrskyi was 15, his father was transferred to serve in the Soviet Armed Forces in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR. Syrskyi graduated from high school in Kharkiv and entered the Moscow Higher Military Command School, the Soviet Union’s most prestigious military academy. After his graduation in 1986, Syrskyi joined the Soviet Artillery Corps. He initially served in a self-propelled artillery unit equipped with the 152 mm 2S5 Giatsint-S and 203 mm 2S7 Pion self propelled howitzers, including in units earmarked to fire nuclear shells. He later served in Rocket Artillery units fielding the BM-27 Uragan MBRL. He served in Afghanistan, the Tajik SSR, and Czechoslovakia until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In 1993, following the dissolution of the USSR, Syrskyi's military unit in Chuhuiv was placed under Ukrainian command, and at the age of 28 he was promoted to the position of battalion commander in the 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine; he later became a regiment commander in that division. In 1996, Syrskyi graduated from the National Defense University of Ukraine, and in 2005 he received a graduate degree from the same university.
In the early 2000s, Syrskyi was promoted to commander of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, based in Bila Tserkva and promoted to the rank of major-general. He was appointed as a Chief of Staff – first deputy of the United Operative Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in 2007. In 2009, Syrskyi was promoted to major general by decree of President Viktor Yushchenko. In 2011-2012 he was first deputy of the Main Directorate of military collaboration and peace-keeping operations. In 2013 he was stationed at NATO's headquarters in Brussels.

Russo-Ukrainian War

War in Donbas

At the beginning of the war in Eastern Ukraine, he was the chief of staff of anti-terrorist operations.
In particular, he was one of the chief commanders of the anti-terrorist operation forces during the battle of Debaltseve. In the winter of 2015, he went to the city with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko. He led the battles in Vuhlehirsk, the village of Ridkodub and an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Lohvynove. He also coordinated the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from Debaltseve. Under his leadership, possible routes of crossing the Karapulka River were blown up.
Oleksandr Syrskyi was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III degree and later received the rank of lieutenant-general due to his achievement during the battle of Debaltseve.
In 2016, he headed the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which coordinates the operational actions of various Ukrainian security forces in the Donbas. In 2017, he was the commander of the entire Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine. It was later replaced by the Joint Forces Operation.
From 6 May to 5 August 2019 he was the commander of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On 5 August, Syrskyi was appointed as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 23 August 2020, he was promoted to the rank of colonel general.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Syrskyi initially organised and led the defense of Kyiv.
In April 2022, Syrskyi was given the Hero of Ukraine award for his efforts. In September 2022, media reported that Syrskyi was the architect behind the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive.
During the war, Syrskyi was criticised for pursuing bloody Soviet-style military tactics which resulted in significant Ukrainian losses during the Battle of Bakhmut, and was nicknamed "General 200".
On 8 February 2024, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy replaced Valerii Zaluzhnyi with Syrskyi as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, following months of speculation of a rift between Zaluzhnyi and Zelenskyy.
On 17 February, as his first major decision as commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi ordered the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Avdiivka to "more favourable lines" in order "to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of service personnel".
On 28 April he announced that Ukrainian forces had retreated from the villages of Berdychi, Semenivka, and Novomykhailivka in Donetsk Oblast due to the positions becoming untenable.
On 24 July Syrskyi granted an interview to a British newspaper. He said "We will do everything we can to reach the internationally recognised borders of 1991," and talked about his planned use of the F-16 platform to intercept Russian cruise missiles.
On 23 August Syrskyi was promoted to the rank of general.

Personal life

Syrskyi is married to a Ukrainian woman, and has 2 sons with her. Russian propaganda has spread false information about Syrskyi, including that he has an adopted son in Australia.