Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Валерій Залужний
Official portrait, 2021
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Assumed office
27 July 2021
PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime MinisterDenys Shmyhal
Preceded byRuslan Khomchak
Personal details
Born
Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi

(1973-07-08) 8 July 1973
Novohrad-Volynskyi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Zviahel, Ukraine)
Alma mater1) Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine
2) Odesa Military Academy
3) National University Ostroh Academy
Nickname"Iron General"[1][2]
Military service
AllegianceUkraine
Years of service1997–present
RankGeneral
Commands1) Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
2) Operational Command North
3) Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
4) Operational Command West
5) 51st Guards Mechanized Brigade
6) 24th Guards Mechanized Brigade
Battles/wars
Awards
Zaluzhnyi with Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi (left) during the Battle of Kyiv, March 2022

Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi (Ukrainian: Вале́рій Фе́дорович Залу́жний;[lower-alpha 1][3] born 8 July 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star general who has served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 27 July 2021. He is also concurrently a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

Zaluzhnyi was previously the Commander of the North Operational Command (2019–2021), Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces (2018), Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the West Operational Command (2017), and Commander of the 51st Guards Mechanized Brigade (2009–2012).

Zaluzhnyi was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.[4] He has received praise for his skill at "adapting to a fast-changing battlefield" through effective delegation and information gathering during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5]

Early life and education

Zaluzhnyi was born on 8 July 1973 in Novohrad-Volynskyi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Zviahel, Ukraine). In 1989, Zaluzhnyi graduated from the city school No. 9 and entered the Zviahel Machine-Building Technical School, from which he graduated in 1991 with honors. He later entered the general military faculty of the Odesa Institute of Land Forces. In 1997, he graduated with honors from the institute, after which he passed all stages of military service: platoon commander, training platoon commander, combat platoon commander, training company commander, cadet company commander, and battalion commander.

Military career

In 2005, he entered the National Academy of Defense of Ukraine. In 2007, he graduated with a gold medal and was appointed Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the 24th Mechanized Brigade in Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast. He successfully served in this position for two and a half years.[6] By the decision of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on 13 October 2009, he was appointed commander of the 51st Mechanized Brigade. He commanded it until 2012.[7]

In 2014, Zaluzhnyi graduated from the Ivan Cherniakhovskyi National Defense University of Ukraine.[8] In 2017, he was appointed Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the Operational Command West.[9] The next year, in 2018, Zaluzhnyi was appointed Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces.[10]

According to an interview with The Washington Post, in 2019, Valerii Zaluzhnyi was detained at the airport in Brussels, where he had arrived to participate in the NATO summit. The reason was that he was put on the international wanted list at the request of the Russian Federation. During his detention by Interpol, he managed to call Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, who subsequently resolved the situation.[11][12]

On 9 December 2019, he was appointed Commander of the Operational Command North.[13] In December 2020 he graduated from the National University Ostroh Academy with a master's degree in International Relations. On 27 July 2021, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Zaluzhnyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,[14][15][16] replacing General Ruslan Khomchak in this position.[17][18] The following day he was also appointed as a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.[19]

Zaluzhnyi is widely regarded as an open-minded officer.[20] Representing a new generation of Ukrainian officers, Zaluzhnyi has radically departed from established Soviet military practices.[16][21] One of his first steps in office was to allow the military at the front to open fire in response to the enemy without the consent of the upper leadership and eliminate the need for the military to fill out unnecessary documents.[22]

Regarding his priorities as Commander-in-Chief, Zaluzhnyi said: "The overall course of reforming Ukraine's Armed Forces in line with NATO principles and standards remains irreversible. And the key here is the principles. Changes must take place primarily in the worldview and attitude toward people. I would like you to turn your face to the people, to your subordinates. My attitude towards people has not changed throughout my service."[23]

On 5 March 2022, in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Zaluzhnyi was promoted by President Zelenskyy to the rank of General,[24] the highest possible rank in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. International experts and analysts have given Zaluzhnyi high marks for the effectiveness of his command at the front against the Russian military, in particular in Time magazine.[25]

He was among the most popular people in Ukraine in 2022.[26] In January 2023, he was liked by 87% of Ukrainian respondents and disliked by 4%.[27]

In January 2023, Zaluzhny received $1 million USD as an inheritance from an American-Ukrainian, Gregory Stepanets. Zaluzhny donated the $1 million to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and humanitarian nonprofits in Ukraine.[28][29][30][31]

On 30 June 2023, Zaluzhnyi appealed to Western allies to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, saying Ukraine's counter-offensive was being slowed by a lack of modern fighter jets and artillery ammunition.[32] He told The Economist in an interview published on 1 November 2023, "Just like in the First World War we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate. There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough." Zaluzhnyi said he underestimated the Russian leadership's willingness to sacrifice its soldiers, saying that "Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country such casualties would have stopped the war."[33]

Military ranks

Awards

Ukrainian
Foreign

Legacy

In February 2023, the village of Vatutine, Kharkiv Oblast was set to be renamed Zaluzhne in honor of Zaluzhnyi.[44]

Streets in Pokrov,[45] Stara Syniava,[46] Konotop,[47] and Malyn[48] are named after him.

Notes

    1. ↑ Sometimes transliterated as Valery or Valeriy Zaluzhny in English.

    References

    1. ↑ "Ukraine's 'iron general' is a hero, but he's no star". POLITICO. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
    2. ↑ Hoffman, Bryce. "Business Leaders Need To Be More Like Ukraine's "Iron General" And Less Like Russia's Dinosaurs". Forbes. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
    3. ↑ Nikiforov, Serhiy (27 July 2021). "Valeriy Zaluzhny appointed as Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces instead of Khomchak – Zelensky's press secretary" (Press release). Interfax-Ukraine.
    4. ↑ "Valeriy Zaluzhnyy", Time, 23 May 2022.
    5. ↑ "'We hit them with slingshots': Ukraine's 'iron general' shows his mettle". Financial Times. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
    6. ↑ "Валерій Залужний: "Новоград-Волинський був колискою мрій і прагнень, Володимир-Волинський дав можливість втілити їх у життя…"". zvyagel.com.ua (in Ukrainian). Звягель. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
    7. ↑ "У найбільшої військової частини у Волинській області новий командир!". blogs.korrespondent.net (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 11 August 2021.
    8. ↑ "генерал-майор ЗАЛУЖНИЙ Валерій Федорович". www.zsu.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 August 2021.
    9. 1 2 "Президент України підписав Указ "Про присвоєння військових звань"". mil.gov.ua. 24 August 2017.
    10. ↑ "Брифінг начальника штабу — першого заступника Командувача об'єднаних сил генерал-майора Валерія Залужного". Офіційний вебсайт Міністерства оборони України. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
    11. ↑ "To defeat Russia, Ukraine's top commander pushes to fight on his terms". The Washington Post. 14 July 2023. Archived from the original on 14 July 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
    12. ↑ Андрій Стець.Головнокомандувач ЗСУ розповів, як у 2019 році у Брюсселі його затримав Інтерпол, Zaxid.net, 14.07.2023
    13. ↑ "В ОК "Північ" новий командувач — генерал-майор Валерій Залужний". armyinform.com.ua (in Ukrainian). АрміяInform. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
    14. ↑ "Сфера оборони має функціонувати стабільно, скоординовано, з чіткою перспективою та без непорозумінь між керівниками – Глава держави". Міністерство оборони України. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
    15. ↑ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №320/2021". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 28 July 2021.
    16. 1 2 "Ukraine's top soldier runs a different kind of army from Russia's". The Economist. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
    17. ↑ "Хомчак іде з посади. Призначено нового головнокомандувача – ОП". Українська правда. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
    18. ↑ "Названо наступника Хомчака на посаді головнокомандувача ЗСУ". РБК-Украина (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 27 July 2021.
    19. ↑ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №325/2021". Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 28 July 2021.
    20. ↑ "Хто такий новий головнокомандувач ЗСУ Валерій Залужний". Радіо Свобода (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 27 July 2021.
    21. ↑ "Генерал Валерій Залужний. Що відомо про нового головнокомандувача ЗСУ" (in Ukrainian). BBC News Україна. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
    22. ↑ "Військовим в зоні ООС дозволили відповідати окупантам без узгодження з вищим керівництвом, - головнокомандувач ЗСУ Залужний". Еспресо - український погляд на світ! (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 29 September 2021.
    23. ↑ "Новий головнокомандувач ЗСУ Залужний назвав свої пріоритети на цій посаді". Еспресо - український погляд на світ! (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 31 July 2021.
    24. ↑ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №108/2022".
    25. ↑ Shuster, Simon; Bergengruen, Vera (26 September 2022). "Inside the Ukrainian Counterstrike That Turned the Tide of the War". Time. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
    26. ↑ "Ukraine's top soldier runs a different kind of army from Russia's". The Economist. 15 December 2022.
    27. ↑ "Polls show Zelenskyy and Zaluzhnyi to be most popular of Ukraine's leaders". Yahoo News. 28 February 2023.
    28. ↑ "Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief inherits US$1 million and donates it to Ukrainian army". www.pravda.com.ua. 24 January 2023.
    29. ↑ Cooper, Helene; Schmitt, Eric (24 January 2023). "Russia-Ukraine War: The U.S. Plans to Send M1 Abrams Tanks to Ukraine, Officials Say". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
    30. ↑ "Залужний отримав у спадок $1 млн та пожертвував його ЗСУ". Ліга.Новини (in Ukrainian). 24 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
    31. ↑ "Залужний отримав у спадок мільйон доларів і пожертвував їх на армію". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
    32. ↑ "Ukraine commander irked by lack of arms promised for offensive". Al Jazeera. 1 July 2023.
    33. ↑ "Ukraine's Top Commander Says War Has Hit a 'Stalemate'". The New York Times. 2 November 2023.
    34. ↑ "Twitter account of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine". twitter.com. 5 March 2022.
    35. ↑ Decree of the President of Ukraine from 6 May 2022 year № 316/2022 «Про нагородження відзнакою Президента України "Хрест бойових заслуг"» (in Ukrainian)
    36. ↑ Decree of the President of Ukraine from 12 December 2016 year № 551/2016 «Про відзначення державними нагородами України з нагоди Дня Сухопутних військ України» (in Ukrainian)
    37. ↑ Decree of the President of Ukraine from 26 July 2023 year № 453/2023 «Про нагородження В.Залужного відзнакою «Іменна вогнепальна зброя»» (in Ukrainian)
    38. ↑ Головнокомандувач ЗСУ Валерій Залужний — лауреат Всеукраїнської премії ім. Братів Лепких, Свобода, 8 November 2022.
    39. ↑ У Тернополі визначили лауреатів Всеукраїнської премії Братів Лепких за 2022 рік, Наш день, 27 December 2022.
    40. ↑ О. Кравченко. Епіфаній вручив Залужному орден святого Юрія Переможця, Lb.ua, 21 December 2022.
    41. ↑ Катерина Садловська (9 July 2023). "Валерій Залужний — почесний громадянин Яворова".
    42. ↑ "LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS PREZIDENTAS DEKRETAS DĖL APDOVANOJIMO LIETUVOS VALSTYBĖS ORDINAIS IR MEDALIAIS".
    43. ↑ "З нагоди Дня державності Литви – нагородження високопосадовців України". LRT (in Lithuanian). 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
    44. ↑ "Ukrainian village renamed after top general fighting Russia".
    45. ↑ "Вулиці Бориса Джонсона та Бориса Мозолевського: у Покрові затвердили нові назви вулиць та провулків (ОНОВЛЕНО) - "Нове місто + ТВ"". Нове місто + ТВ (in Russian). 28 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
    46. ↑ "У селищі на Хмельниччині назвали вулицю на честь Валерія Залужного". Укрінформ (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 25 January 2023.
    47. ↑ "У Конотопі з'явилась вулиця Валерія Залужного. Свої назви змінили ще ряд вулиць + Список". Голос Конотопа. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
    48. ↑ "У Малині на Житомирщині перейменували вулицю на честь Валерія Залужного".

    Information

    Interviews

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
    Wikiquote has quotations related to Valerii Zaluzhnyi.
    External videos
    video icon Головнокомандувач ЗСУ Залужний: Хотів би проїхатися на танку по Арбату. Рандеву з Яніною Соколовою on YouTube, 5 канал, 4 September 2021.
    video icon Валерій Залужний на Всеукраїнському форумі «Україна 30. Захисники» on YouTube, Конгрес місцевих та регіональних влад, 3 November 2021.
    video icon «Війна змінила мою долю»: історія головнокомандувача ЗСУ Валерія Залужного. Таємниці війни on YouTube, 5 канал, 2 December 2021.
    video icon Year. Off-screen. General. Special project of Dmytro Komarov. Part three [Eng + Ru subtitles] on YouTube, Світ навиворіт, 12 May 2023.
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