Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi (; born 26 July 1965) is a Ukrainian

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

. Holding the rank of

Colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

, he has been the commander of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the Army, land forces of Ukraine and one of the five Military branch, branches of the Armed For ...

since 2019. Previously, he was the commander of the Joint Forces Operation from May to August 2019. During the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Syrskyi commanded the defence of Kyiv. From September 2022, he commands the Kharkiv counteroffensive.

Biography

Syrskyi graduated from the

Moscow Higher Military Command School The Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School ''"Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR"'' (abbreviated to MVOKU) is a higher military educational institution of the Russian Armed Forces. History The school was formed in December 15, 1917 (O.S., Decembe ...

, the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

’s leading higher military educational institution. Before the war in Donbass in the 2000s, he commanded the 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 then 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.

War in Donbas

With 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 The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Force ...

in the winter of 2015, together with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Viktor Muzhenko Viktor Muzhenko (born 10 October 1961)
LIGA is a Ukrainian

they went to the city itself. He led the battles in Vuhlehirsk, the village of Ridkodub and an unsuccessful attempt to recapture Logvinov. 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, which was later replaced by 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 , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

. Since 5 August 2019, Syrskyi has been the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 23 August 2020, he was promoted to the rank of

colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

. The rank is no longer awarded in the Ukrainian army since 1 October of the same year, but Syrskyi retained it, being at this moment the only Ukrainian military officer left in active service to hold this particular rank.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

During the

Russian Invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Syrskyi initially organised and lead the defense of Kyiv. Defenceofkyiv

In April 2022, Syrskyi was given the

Hero of Ukraine Hero of Ukraine (HOU; uk, Герой України, ''Heroi Ukrainy'') is the highest national title that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the President of Ukraine. The title was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma and as ...

award for his efforts. In September 2022, media reported that Syrskyi is the architect behind the successful Kharkiv counteroffensive. Syrskyi has been described as “the most successful general of the 21st century so far.”

Awards

Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky ( uk, Орден Богдана Хмельницького, Orden Bohdana Khmelʹnytsʹkoho) is a Ukrainian military award named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossacks. The award was establi ...

III degree (14 March 2015) * Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky II degree (18 March 2022) * Cross of Combat Merit (17 July 2022) *

(6 April 2022)

References

External links

* (10 September 2022) {{DEFAULTSORT:Syrskyi, Oleksandr Colonel Generals of Ukraine 1965 births Living people Recipients of the Order of Gold Star (Ukraine) Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class Ukrainian military personnel of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine