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

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

who was the

Chief of the General Staff The Chief of the General Staff (CGS) is a post in many armed forces (militaries), the head of the military staff. List * Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ( United States) * Chief of the General Staff (Abkhazia) * Chief of General Staff (Af ...

and the commanding officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019.

Biography

In 1983 Muzhenko graduated from the

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

Higher Military Command School. He then served in the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

Transcaucasian Military District The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...

, ending up being a commander of a motorized infantry battalion. In 1992 he moved to the

Carpathian Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

where he till 2000 served as its commander. In 1996 Muzhenko graduated from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. From 2000 till 2003 he was chief of staff - deputy division commander of the Territorial Directorate "North". From April 2003 to July 2004 he served as chief of staff - first deputy commander of a mechanized brigade of Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent of the

multinational force in Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

. In 2005 Muzhenko graduated from the Faculty training of operational and strategic levels of the National Defence Academy of Ukraine. In 2005 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Corps of

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

, a post he held till 2010. In 2010–2012, he served as commander of the 8th Army Corps. On 10 May 2012 Muzhenko was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 24 August 2012 Muzhenko was awarded the rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

. Muzhenko was elected deputy of the

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhytomyrska oblast), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna ( uk, Жито́мирщина}) is an oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. The administrative center of the obla ...

Council for the

Party of Regions The Party of Regions ( uk, Партія регіонів, Partiia rehioniv, ; russian: Партия регионов, Partiya regionov) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997 that then grew to be the biggest party of U ...

, but left the party in February 2014. 20 May 2014 decree of the Acting President

Oleksandr Turchynov Oleksandr Valentynovych Turchynov ( uk, Олександр Валентинович Турчинов; born 31 March 1964) is a Ukrainian politician, screenwriter, Baptist minister and economist. He is the former Secretary of the National S ...

appointed him first deputy head of the counterterrorist center at the

Security Service of Ukraine The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainian ...

. Muzhenko was appointed

by president

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko se ...

on 3 July 2014.Ukraine's new defence minister promises Crimea victory

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

(3 July 2014)President appoints Muzhenko as commander-in-chief of Armed Forces

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

(3 July 2014) (According to Poroshenko) at the time his predecessor Mykhailo Kutsyn was suffering from

shell-shock Shell shock is a term coined in World War I by the British psychologist Charles Samuel Myers to describe the type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) many soldiers were afflicted with during the war (before PTSD was termed). It is a reac ...

and a concussion and was staying at a hospital (he had been wounded while combating the

2014 insurgency in Donbass Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrel ...

).Poroshenko: Former Ukrainian General Staff chief shell-shocked in southeastern combat zone
Interfax-Ukraine (3 July 2014) Muzhenko had also entered into combat in the

Donbass The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...

region during the same operation.

Awards and decorations

Medal For military service to Ukraine ribbon

Order of Danylo Halytsky (2004) * Medal For irreproachable service 3rd Class Ukraine ribbon

Medal "For Irreproachable Service" *

Defender of the Motherland Medal ribbon bar (1999)

Defender of the Motherland Medal The "Defender of the Motherland" Medal ( uk, Медаль «Захиснику Вітчизни») is a commemorative medal awarded by Ukraine. It was established on 8 October 1999 by presidential decree № 1299. Criteria An award of the Pres ...

Medal "For Impeccable Service" The Medal "For Impeccable Service" (russian: Медаль «За безупречную службу») was a Soviet military award for long service awarded to deserving members of the military personnel of the armed forces of the USSR, of the Int ...

Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" The Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR" (russian: Юбилейная медаль «70 лет Вооружённых Сил СССР») was a state military commemorative medal of the Soviet Union established on January 28, 198 ...

Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" The Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" (russian: Медаль «За отличие в воинской службе») was a military decoration awarded in two classes by the Soviet Union and later by the Russian Federation (until 1995), ...

References

External links

Profile
at the Official Website of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence {{DEFAULTSORT:Muzhenko, Viktor 1961 births Living people People from Zhytomyr Oblast Pro-Ukrainian people of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine Soviet military personnel Generals of the Army (Ukraine) Recipients of the Order of Danylo Halytsky Party of Regions politicians Chiefs of the General Staff (Ukraine) Ukrainian military personnel of the war in Donbas Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class