Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi is a Ukrainian military officer, Colonel General. Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (from February 8, 2024). Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2019 - 2024); Commander of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Troops Group. Commander of the Joint Forces Operation (in 2019). Hero of Ukraine (since 2022).
He was born on July 26, 1965 in the village of Novinki, Kirzhachsky district, Vladimir Oblast (russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic).
Education
In 1986, he graduated from the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School. He started his service as the Commander of the Motorized Rifle Platoon of the 426th Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 25th Guards Motorized Rifle Division (Lubny, Poltava Region).
From 1993 to 1995, he was the Commander of the Motorized Rifle Battalion of the 17th Regiment of the 6th Division of the National Guard of Ukraine. Subsequently, the Commander of the 19th Regiment of the same Division (based on the territory of the Chuhuyiv City Council of the Kharkiv Region).
In 1996, he graduated with honors from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (operational-tactical level).
From 2000 to 2002 - Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of the 72nd Mechanized Division of the 8th Army Corps.
In 2002, he was appointed Commander of the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, formed in the same year as a result of the reduction of the 72nd Mechanized Division.
In 2005, he graduated from the National Defense Academy of Ukraine (operational-strategic level) with a gold medal.
He rose to the rank of Major General.
In 2013, he was the First Deputy Chief of the Main Command Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was involved in the then processes of cooperation with NATO. In November 2013, Syrskyi, on behalf of the Ministry of Defense, discussed changes in the Ukrainian army in accordance with NATO standards at the NATO headquarters of the alliance.
Russian-Ukrainian war
With the beginning of hostilities in the East of Ukraine, he was the Chief of Staff of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). In particular, he was one of the main commanders of the ATO forces during the battles for Debaltseve in the winter of 2015, together with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko, they went to the city itself. He was involved in the management of battles in Vuhlehirsk, the village of Ridkodub, and the unsuccessful attempt to recapture Lohvynove. He also coordinated the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military from Debaltseve. Under his leadership, possible ways of crossing the Karapulka River were undermined. However, the head of the sector, according to the General, did not allow all the detonations to be carried out, due to which the crossings were captured by the enemy. It was the Bars group formed by Syrskyi that covered the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from Debaltseve.
For the battles at the Debaltseve bridgehead, Oleksandr Syrskyi was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi III degree and later received the rank of Lieutenant General.
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 Donbas. And in 2017, he was the Commander of the entire Anti-Terrorist Operation in the East of Ukraine, which was later replaced by the Joint Forces Operation.
From May 6 to August 5, 2019, he was the Commander of the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and he was replaced by Volodymyr Kravchenko in this position.
Since August 5, 2019, he has been the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Introduced to the staff by the Chief of the General Staff on August 19, at the Ground Forces Command Headquarters.
Since August 23, 2020, he has been a Colonel General.
Full-scale invasion of russian federation into Ukraine
With the beginning of the russian invasion of Ukraine, he was the Commander of the defense of Kyiv. He built two defense rings around Kyiv and appointed commanders of defense sectors with the authority to make tactical decisions.
In February-March 2022, in order to prevent the advance of the occupation forces to Kyiv, according to the decision of Syrskyi, bridge crossings in the Kyiv Region were destroyed, and on February 26, 2022, the dam on the Irpin River in Kozarovychi was blown up, which also led to the flooding of the positions of the russian army, or undermined the enemy pontoon bridge.
As a result of these actions, the rapid russian offensive on Kyiv failed. For the successful defense of the capital and the liberation of Northern Ukraine, on March 18, 2022, he was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, II degree, and on April 5, 2022, he was awarded the highest state honor of the Hero of Ukraine.
Since the summer of 2022, he was one of the commanders of the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kharkiv Region, as a result of which the occupation forces were first pushed back from Kharkiv to a relatively safe distance that exceeded the range of artillery fire, then the Defense Forces moved on to Balakliya - Izium - Sviatohirsk - Lyman - Kreminna.
In 2022-2023, the Commander of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Troops Group. In autumn 2022 - spring 2023, he managed the defense of Soledar and Bakhmut.
Family
Wife - Tamara Kharchenko. Sons Anton and Oleksandr.
News about Oleksandr Syrskyi
