Lieutenant-General Oleksandr Pavlyuk will now command the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine instead of Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi. This is stated in the decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, it is reported
The day before, Pavlyuk was dismissed from the Ministry of Defense by decision of the Cabinet of Ministers. There he held the post of First Deputy Minister of Defense.
Who is Pavlyuk?
He was born on August 20, 1970 in the city of Zviagel, Zhytomyr Region. From 2021 to 2022, he held the position of commander of the Operation of the United Forces, which lasted in part of Donbas. In 2022, he received the title of Hero of Ukraine.
From July 2006 to April 2007, Pavlyuk commanded the Ukrainian peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo, and from 2010 to 2015 – the 24th separate mechanized brigade.
As a brigade commander, since March 2014, Pavlyuk took an active part in repelling Russian aggression against Ukraine. The brigade under his command distinguished itself during the liberation of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Siversk and Lysychansk.
In 2015-2017, Pavlyuk was the first deputy commander of the troops of the operational command “West” of the Ground Forces, and from 2017 to 2020 – the commander of the same command.
From 2020 to July 2021, Pavlyuk held the position of commander of training of the Ground Forces Command, and from July 2021 to March 2022 – commander of the Joint Forces Operation (JOF). After the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, Pavlyuk was in charge of the defense in the east of Ukraine.
In March 2022, Pavlyuk was appointed the head of Kyiv OVA. He held this position until May of the same year. As the head of the OVA, he was responsible for ensuring the organization of the defense of Kyiv and the Kyiv region.
From May 2022 to February 2023, Pavlyuk was the deputy commander of the Ground Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi. And from February 2023 to February 10, 2024, he held the position of First Deputy Minister of Defense.
Reshuffles in the Armed Forces
On February 8, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi dismissed the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny and appointed General Oleksandr Syrskyi as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to Zelenskyi, Syrskyi has successful defense experience – he conducted the Kyiv defense operation, and successful offensive experience – the Kharkiv liberation operation.
The President believes that 2024 can be a successful year for Ukraine only if there are effective changes in the basis of our defense, which is the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In addition, Zelensky changed the command of the General Staff of the Armed Forces. Anatoliy Bargylevych was appointed as the new chief.