Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi — betrayal or victory? What is known about him

Childhood and education in Russia

Oleksandr Syrskyi was born on July 26, 1965, in the village of Novinki in Russia. In 1986, he graduated from the Higher Combined Arms Command School in Moscow. Syrskyi also studied at the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Defense Academy of Ukraine, from which he graduated with a gold medal.

ATO Commander

He also commanded the 72nd Mechanized Brigade, and at the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, he was the Chief of Staff of the ATO. In particular, Syrskyi commanded the ATO forces during the battles for Debaltseve in the winter of 2015, for which he received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, III class.

Since August 2019, Syrskyi has been commanding the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Chief of Kyiv defense and Kharkiv counteroffensive

After the outbreak of the Great War, Syrskyi led the defense of Kyiv, including the destruction of bridges in the Kyiv region in February-March 2022 to prevent the advance of Russian troops.

It is believed that this is why the Russian offensive on Kyiv failed. For the defense of the capital and the liberation of northern Ukraine, Syrsky received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, II class. In April, he was also awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

In the summer, Syrskyi commanded a counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, which resulted in the liberation of Balakliia, Izium, Lyman, and Kreminna. After that, the Ministry of Defense called him one of the “titans” who held military operations on their shoulders. He also led the defense of Soledar and Bakhmut until the spring of 2023.

What do experts say?

Political analyst Ihor Reiterovych believes that the arguments voiced by the President were not enough to decide to replace the Commander-in-Chief.

“Mentioning that we have stagnation at the front and an unsuccessful offensive is pharisaical because these things are directly related to the aid and many other things that Ukraine was supposed to receive from its partners, and for which the President and his inner circle were specifically responsible. That is why no military and strategic arguments were presented today to change the leadership,” Reitarovych said.

“To be honest, I doubt that they will be represented because the ship has already sailed, there is a new Commander-in-Chief, he will represent his team and will continue to work. So in this context, this decision is most likely purely political. When politics interferes in the military sphere, it usually has very negative consequences,” he added.

The political scientist also drew attention to the reaction of Russians: “It's very positive, they like this story because Zaluzhnyi was an extremely negative candidate for them as head of the Armed Forces and they hated him, to put it mildly.”

At the same time, he believes that the choice of Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief was expected and even unavoidable:“The President had to choose from those people who have at least similar experience to Zaluzhnyi's, from those people who are directly in the Armed Forces system, and it could not be an outsider. Syrskyi's candidacy seems optimal here, so the logic of the appointment is clear.”

Reitarovych noted that Syrskyi led successful operations of the Armed Forces:“He was responsible for a specific area. The operations were planned and prepared at the level of the General Staff, and it is clear that the new Commander-in-Chief was involved in this, but he carried out these operations in practice — in Kharkiv and Kyiv regions. He has both the relevant experience and the ability to lead large groups of troops.

Does he have any experience of managing at the strategic level — no, he does not. He will gain it in the course of exercising his new powers, and let's hope that he will gain this experience quickly enough and without any major losses.”

Ivan Stupak, a military analyst and former employee of the Security Service of Ukraine considers Syrskyi's appointment controversial.

“Zaluzhnyi enjoys tremendous authority and respect in the army. Therefore, Mr. Syrskyi has many more challenges, he needs to reach a level of trust and acceptance by both the military and civilians that is at least as high as Zaluzhnyi's. That is, if he proves himself to be as effective as possible in the shortest possible time, then the appointment was not in vain, and it was right and relevant. And if not... Unfortunately, we will suffer losses. And perhaps not only of territory and people,” said Stupak.

He believes that the choice of Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief was because “they were looking for the most loyal person, without independent ambitions, who would follow instructions and not contradict.”

“I don't expect Mr. Syrskyi to give any interviews, for example, to The Economist or the New York Times without the approval of the Presidential Office, because if there are such interviews, they will be as coordinated or structured as possible so that his opinion does not differ from the opinion of the head of state,” themilitary expert noted.

He added that it is now an open question whether the new Commander-in-Chief will be allowed to form his own team or whether the political leadership will influence it.

Oleksii Hetman, a military expert, reserve major, and participant in the Russian-Ukrainian war, believes that the resignation of Zaluzhnyi and his team is risky for the battlefield.

“We heard from Zelenskyy that Syrskyi should bring his own team. This is normal, but a new command always needs some time to take over from its predecessors. This will be a window of opportunity for the Russians directly on the battlefield,” noted Hetman.

What preceded it?

On the evening of February 8, Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Valerii Zaluzhnyi and appointed Syrskyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

“Starting today, a new management team is taking over the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. I want our soldiers in Robotyne or Avdiivka, the General Staff, and the Chief of Staff to share the same vision of the war,” he said.

Zelenskyy also said that he had “dozens of conversations” with commanders of various levels.

“I have appointed Colonel General Syrskyi as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Today I spoke with Generals Moisiuk and Zabrodskyi. Their experience is in the service of the state,” the Head of State said.

According to him, brigadier generals Andrii Hnatov, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Ihor Skybiuk, and colonels Pavlo Palisa and Vadym Sukharevskyi are being considered for leadership positions.

Zelenskyy said they would serve “under the leadership of the most experienced Ukrainian commander” with experience in the Kyiv defense operation and the Kharkiv liberation operation.