Oleksandr Syrskyi is the new head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: what is known about him
On February 8, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Read what is known about the honored military man Oleksandr Syrskyi, who until now commanded the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Fakty ICTV.
Syrskyi’s biography: education, career and family
Oleksandr Syrskyi was born in 1965, and is now 59 years old.
In 1996, he graduated with honors from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (operational and tactical level), and in 2005 from the National Defense Academy of Ukraine (operational and strategic level) with a gold medal.
In the 2000s, Oleksandr Syrskyi commanded the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Kyiv Region based in Bila Tserkva, where he rose to the rank of Major General.
In 2014, he was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Main Command Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There he was responsible, in particular, for cooperation with NATO.
On August 23, 2020, he was promoted to the rank of colonel general.
He is married and has two sons, Anton and Oleksandr.
Full-scale war with Russia
According to media reports, shortly before the invading army invaded and attacked Kyiv, Syrskyi was actively preparing to defend the capital.
Two defense rings were erected around Kyiv, and defense sector commanders with tactical decision-making authority were appointed.
In March 2022, Syrskyi’s decision blew up a dam on the Irpin River, which led to the flooding of the Russian army’s positions, and subsequently led to the failure of the invaders’ offensive.
Kharkiv direction
In July 2022, he led the operation in the Kharkiv sector, which resulted in the Russian troops being pushed back from the city to a distance exceeding the range of artillery fire. This significantly increased the safety of the population of Kharkiv.
Bakhmut
Since the fall of 2022, he has been in charge of the defense of Bakhmut. He regularly emphasized that in these battles, the Ukrainian army had drained the enemy of blood, who sought to capture the city by all means.
Syrskyi’s awards
The title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star (April 5, 2022).
The Cross of Military Merit (July 27, 2022).
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, First Class (December 11, 2022).
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, II class (March 18, 2022).
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III class (March 14, 2015).
