Oleksandr Syrskyi

Syrskyi was born in 1965 in Vladimir, Russian SFSR, then in the Soviet Union.[3] He graduated from the Moscow Higher Military Command School, the Soviet Union’s leading higher military educational institution in 1986 and served in 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, Tajikistan, and the Czech Republic until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Before the war in Donbas in 2014, he commanded Ukraine's 72nd Mechanized Brigade and was promoted to major-general. As of 2013, he was the First Deputy Chief of the Main Command Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and was involved in the processes of cooperation with NATO. In November 2013, Syrskyi, on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, discussed changes to the Ukrainian army in accordance with NATO standards at NATO headquarters.

With the beginning of the war in Eastern Ukraine, he was the chief of staff of anti-terrorist operations.[4] 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, together with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko they went to the city itself. 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.[5] 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.[6][7] 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.[8][9]

From 6 May to 5 August 2019 he was the commander of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[10][11]

Since 5 August 2019, Syrskyi has been the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[12][13] On 23 August 2020, he was promoted to the rank of colonel general.[14] The rank is no longer awarded in the Ukrainian army since 1 October 2020, but Syrskyi retained it, being at this moment the only Ukrainian military officer left in active service to hold this particular rank.

During the Russian Invasion of Ukraine, Syrskyi initially organised and led the defense of Kyiv.[15]

With Valerii Zaluzhnyi during the battle for Kyiv, 2022

In April 2022, Syrskyi was given the Hero of Ukraine award for his efforts. In September 2022, media reported that Syrskyi as the architect behind the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive.[16][17]

Syrskyi has acted a spokesperson and commander of the Ukrainian Eastern Grouping of Forces.[18][19]

• Major general (August 20, 2009)[20]
• Lieutenant general (December 5, 2016)[21]
• Colonel general (August 23, 2020)[22]

• Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky III degree (14 March 2015)[23]
• Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky II degree (18 March 2022)[24]
• Hero of Ukraine (5 April 2022)[25]
• Cross of Military Merit (27 July 2022)[26]
• Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky I degree (11 December 2022)[27]

• General Syrskyi in liberated Balaklia in Kharkiv Oblast on YouTube (10 September 2022)