What is known about Syrskyi: military career, declaration, scandals
8 February 22:07
Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi has been appointed the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. has found out what is known about the biography and military career of the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The issue of changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has long been the subject of controversy and rumours, with official resignations and subsequent denials. This evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, during which he thanked the general for his service and announced a change in the leadership of the Armed Forces.
In his evening address, the President confirmed the appointment of a new Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, who will replace Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
Who is Oleksandr Syrskyi?
Syrskyi’s education and military career

Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi was born on 26 July 1965 in the village of Novyky, Vladimir region of the RSFSR .
In 1986, he graduated from the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School. In 1996, he graduated with honours from the Armed Forces Academy (operational and tactical level), and in 2005, he graduated from the National Defence Academy of Ukraine (operational and strategic level ) with a gold medal.
Syrskyi went through all stages of service in the army – from platoon commander to Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the early 2000s, Syrskyi commanded the 72nd Mechanised Division in Bila Tserkva. In 2013, he served as deputy chief of the Main Command Centre of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for cooperation with NATO. On behalf of the Ministry of Defence, Syrskyi discussed changes in the Ukrainian army in line with NATO standards at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Alliance.
What is Syrskyi’s combat experience in the ATO/JFO?

During the hostilities with Russia in eastern Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi served as the ATO Chief of Staff. He took part in the important battles for Debaltseve in the winter of 2015, and together with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko, he travelled to the city itself.
Syrsky was actively involved in the management of the fighting in Vuhlehirsk, the village of Ridkodub, and in the unsuccessful attempt to recapture Logvinove. He coordinated the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Debaltseve, and his command was involved in the explosions of possible crossing points across the Karapulka River. However, due to the sector leader’s poor approach, many of the explosions were not carried out, which led to the enemy seizing the crossings. The ‘Bars’ group, formed by Syrsky, played a key role in covering the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from Debaltseve.
For his participation in the battles at the Debaltseve bridgehead, Oleksandr Syrskyi was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, III class, and later promoted to lieutenant general.
In 2016, he headed the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, coordinating the operational activities of various security forces in Donbas. In 2017, Syrskyi became the commander of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in eastern Ukraine, which was later replaced by the Joint Forces Operation.
From 6 May to 5 August 2019, he served as the Commander of the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On 5 August 2019, Syrskyi became the Commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, introduced to the personnel by the Chief of the General Staff on 19 August.
He was appointed colonel general on 23 August 2020.
Full-scale war with Russia

From the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksandr Syrskyi was at the epicentre of the fighting. In particular, he led the defence of Kyiv in March-April 2022. Under his leadership, the occupiers were driven away from the capital.
For the successful defence of Kyiv, he was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II class, and on 5 April 2022, he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.
In September 2022, Oleksandr Syrskyi led a counter-offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region, which resulted in the liberation of hundreds of settlements.
Until now, Syrskyi was responsible for the operational area of the Eastern Military Group – the territory from Kupiansk (Kharkiv region) to Bakhmut (Donetsk region).
Disputes with Zaluzhnyi over Bakhmut

According to a number of reports, Oleksandr Syrskyi and Valeriy Zaluzhnyi had different views on strategic actions regarding the city of Bakhmut. The disagreement began in the winter of 2023 and continued in the summer and autumn of that year, when both generals played key roles in the Battle of Bakhmut.
Oleksandr Syrskyi, who commanded the eastern group of troops in 2023, took responsibility for the fighting in the hottest areas of the front, including near Bakhmut.
In the summer of 2023, during meetings with American strategists, the New York Times reported that Zaluzhnyi received recommendations to focus his efforts on the southern direction and refrain from spreading resources between the southern and eastern directions. According to insider information, Zaluzhnyi agreed with this strategy. However, Ukrainian troops continued offensive operations for Bakhmut, which Syrsky himself had advocated.
Syrskyi’s awards and honours
Syrsky received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III class, on 14 March 2015 for personal courage and high professionalism in the defence of Ukraine’s state sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In 2022, President Zelenskyy awarded Syrskyy the title of Hero of Ukraine, with Decree 213/2022 signed on 5 April.
“For personal courage, significant contribution to the protection of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, I hereby decree: To award the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of the Golden Star to Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi,” the document reads,
– the document reads.

During the full-scale war, Syrsky collected perhaps the most state awards among the highest generals:
- The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II class (18 March 2022) – for personal courage and selfless actions in defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the military oath
- The title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order “Golden Star” (5 April 2022) – for personal courage, significant contribution to the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine
- The Cross of Military Merit (27 July 2022) – for outstanding personal merits in the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people, loyalty to the military oath
- The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, First Class (11 December 2022) – for personal courage and selfless actions in the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the oath of allegiance.
Syrskyi’s family
His wife is Tamara Kharchenko. The general’s wife works as a chief inspector at the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine. The couple have two sons.
Syrskyi’s declaration
The Register of Declarations does not contain declarations of servicemen, mobilised persons, members of their families, as well as persons whose relatives are in the temporarily occupied territories. Therefore, we are providing information about the latest declaration for 2018, which is available in the media.
In2018, Syrskyi declared UAH 646 thousand of income, USD 10 thousand in cash and UAH 178 thousand in bank accounts.
Among his income, Syrskyi listed UAH 632,000 in salary at his main job at the General Staff, UAH 6,350 in social assistance to ATO participants, UAH 1,265 in one-time cash assistance from the General Staff, and UAH 6,350 in in-kind gifts.
He has UAH 80,000 on his accounts at the State Export-Import Bank, UAH 85,400 at PrivatBank, and UAH 12,500 at Oschadbank.
Syrskyi’s wife Tamara Kharchenko declared UAH 17.8 thousand of income, and his father-in-law Ivan Kharchenko – UAH 32.5 thousand of pension.
Syrskyi owned a 1,000 sq m plot of land in Kyiv region and used a service apartment in Kyiv provided by the Ministry of Defence.
The couple had 2 land plots of 2,015 sq m and 467 sq m in Shamraivka, Kyiv region, and a 152.9 sq m house.
He owned a 2017 Renault Megan worth UAH 611,000, and his father-in-law owned a 2002 VAZ 21074 worth UAH 21,700.
Syrskyi’s assets under construction also include a 13.7 sq m parking space in Kyiv.
Scandals
In December 2020, a small memorial appeared on the territory of the headquarters of the Land Forces Command of the Armed For ces of Ukraine to honour the military who are defending Ukraine’s independence in the Joint Forces Operation zone in Donbas. The monument was initiated by the commander of the Land Forces, Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi.
It was noted on social media that the three soldiers depicted on the monument may bear a resemblance to real people. In particular, users recognised one of them as resembling the commander of the Joint Forces, Serhiy Nayev, and another as the commander of the Land Forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi. The third soldier, who was a tanker, was recognised as resembling President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
The reaction of some citizens was negative, with Ukrainians writing angry comments. Subsequently, caricatures and critical statements about Zelenskyy, the Ministry of Defence and the leadership of the Land Forces appeared online. However, the wave of outrage did not clarify whether the faces of the military were actually drawn after the portraits of the generals and the president, and how this could have happened.


It should benoted that The Washington Post wrote that among ordinary soldiers, Syrsky , whom many consider a Soviet-style commander who kept troops under fire in Bakhmut for too long when Ukraine was supposed to withdraw, isparticularly dis liked.
“He is a General Patton-type character. He has no human resources gene in his body,”
– said a person close to Zelenskyy.
Zaluzhny’s resignation
About a week ago, rumours began to circulate online that the President of Ukraine had allegedly decided to dismiss the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi.
According to The Washington Post, the departure of Zaluzhnyi, one of the most popular figures in Ukrainian society, could affect troop morale and shake the confidence of Western donors as Ukraine’s military struggles to repel advancing Russian forces. But any move by the US to challenge Zelenskyy’s decision could be seen as exerting undue influence.
Reaction
The news of Zaluzhnyi’s possible dismissal caused a real outcry online, which was quite expected given the Commander-in-Chief’s ratings. Rumour has it that this is why President Zelenskyy decided to postpone signing the decree. However, while the people are unanimously on Zaluzhnyi’s side, MPs are trying to approach the issue in a more balanced way.
History of the confrontation
The confrontation between Supreme Commander-in-Chief Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyy has been discussed almost since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. Zelenskyi is rumoured to see Zaluzhnyi as a competitor, given the latter’s popularity among the people. According to a public opinion poll released by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology on 18 December 2023, 88% of Ukrainians trust Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, while 62% trust Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy’s dislike of Zaluzhnyi seems to have reached a new level after Zaluzhnyi published an op-ed in The Economist last November. In the article, the commander-in-chief wrote that the Ukrainian army had hit the ceiling of technology provided by its partners, and the current moment on the front corresponds to the current technological advantage over the enemy. He also gave a cautious forecast for 2024, saying that there would most likely be no beautiful and profound breakthrough, but instead a balance of devastating destruction and losses. Zelenskyy’s office reacted negatively to the article, and the president himself later said at a press conference that he expected “very specific things on the battlefield” from the army command.
The two Commanders-in-Chief seem to constantly disagree on specific actions at the front. For example, according to a number of media outlets, Zaluzhnyi allegedly believed that there was no point in holding Bakhmut at such a high cost, but Zelenskyi thought otherwise.