Celebrating Birthday of General Oleksandr Syrskii - a renowned military commander

Let's delve into some key points from his life story.

From Soviet school to NATO сooperation

Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskii was born on July 26, 1965, in the village of Novinky, located in the former USSR's Vladimir region.

He received his initial military education at the Moscow Joint Military Command School during the Soviet era. Later, he excelled at the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he pursued operational and tactical studies, and at the National Defense University, specializing in operational-strategic matters.

Throughout his military career, General Syrskii climbed through the ranks, starting as a platoon commander in 1986, and eventually becoming the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Guardian once referred to him as the "second-in-command after the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi."

Key milestones in his career

• In 1993, he led a motorized infantry battalion of the 6th National Guard Division in Chuhuyiv and later became the commander of the division.
• During the early 2000s, Syrskii commanded the 72nd Mechanized Division in Bila Tserkva.
• In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Major General.
• In 2013, he served as the Deputy Chief of the General Command Center of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, where he actively engaged in NATO cooperation and participated in negotiations regarding the modernization of the Ukrainian military based on NATO standards.
• In 2016, he assumed command of the Unified Operational Command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, earning the rank of Lieutenant General.
• In 2017, he became the commander of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO), later replaced by the Joint Forces Operation (OOS).
• In 2019, he was appointed as the commander of the Joint Forces in the area of military operations in Eastern Ukraine.
• Since August 5, 2019, he holds the position of Commanding Officer of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
• In 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel General.

General Syrskii's journey from a Soviet school to his present role as a high-ranking military leader has been marked by dedication and significant achievements. As he celebrates his 58th birthday, his contributions to Ukraine's military prowess and strategic operations continue to be commendable.

Photo: General Oleksandr Syrskii commanding the Independence Day parade in 2021

Oleksander Syrskii, the Commander of the Ground Forces, has identified several key priorities during his tenure. These include bolstering combat capabilities, aligning the organizational structure with NATO standards, equipping combat units with state-of-the-art high-tech weaponry, and enhancing the military training of personnel.

Under his leadership, the Ground Forces implemented a new management system similar to the G-structure and S-structure used by NATO countries, significantly improving the coordination between units during combat operations.

Frontline leadership from day one of the war

In 2014, when the military conflict erupted in Eastern Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskii assumed command of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) headquarters.

He played a pivotal role as one of the commanders during battles in Debaltseve, Vuhlehirske, as well as the villages of Ridkodub and Logvinoho.

During the Debaltseve siege, he coordinated the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the encirclement. The "Bars" group formed under Syrskii's command protected the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the city in February 2015. At that time, approximately 4,500 Ukrainian military personnel faced almost 20,000 Russian occupiers.

For his actions during the Debaltseve battle, Syrskii was honored with the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, Third Class.

Major successes of the Ground Forces under Syrskii's command

In an interview on the anniversary of Russia's full-scale military aggression, Oleksandr Syrskii disclosed that he learned about the invasion at 04:05 on February 24, conveyed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Photo: Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, General Oleksandr Syrskii, the Commanding Officer of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces

From the outset, General Syrskii led the defense of Kyiv, attributing the successful protection of the capital to meticulous planning.

"Under Kyiv, we established a classic defense combined with the actions of mobile units that actively defended and counterattacked," Syrskii explained the operational details.

For successfully defending Kyiv, he was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, Second Class, and on April 5, 2022, he was bestowed with the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Syrskii also planned the Kharkiv and Lyman counteroffensive operations in autumn 2022. As the enemy did not anticipate actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on that front and was preparing to defend the Kherson region, the liberation of territories in the Kharkiv Oblast occurred swiftly.

"We planned an operation in the south, and we were given the task to plan diversionary actions. When events started to unfold in the south, the enemy diverted some of its forces and assets there. I thought, why not plan an offensive operation on this particular front?" Syrskii detailed.

The main focus was on rapid advancement. On the first day alone, the Ukrainian Armed Forces advanced 18 kilometers and managed to seize a significant amount of Russian military equipment. Special units were engaged in the liberation of territories. As part of the Kharkiv operation, cities such as Izyum, Balakliya, and Kupiansk were liberated. Later, in the Donetsk region, Lyman and Sviatohirsk were also freed.

Currently, Syrskii commands the operational-strategic group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces called "Khortytsia" and oversees one of the most challenging operations – the Bakhmut direction. In an interview with the BBC, Syrskii mentioned that the progress is not as swift as desired, but at the same time, he described the retaking of Bakhmut as a matter of honor.

"We lost many of our brothers, our servicemen, defending Bakhmut, so we are simply obliged to retake it," he asserted.

Syrskii also believes that the recapture of the city holds more than just symbolic significance, as Bakhmut also has strategic importance as a gateway to other key cities in the region.

He emphasizes that Ukraine possesses one clear advantage over the enemy – the "unity of our military leadership and the trust between our soldiers."

Photo: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy presenting the title of Hero of Ukraine to Oleksandr Syrskii in 2022 for defending capital (t.me/osirskiy)

General Oleksandr Syrskii emphasized that Ukraine has no other option but to achieve victory in the ongoing war, despite the high cost of success on the battlefield.

"The scale of this war is unparalleled in Europe and the world since World War II, and the survival of the nation and the state is at stake, leaving no room for alternatives," he stated

"Soldier to the bone": intriguing facts about the General

General Oleksandr Syrskii regularly visits the frontlines and the most intense combat zones to analyze battle tactics, address issues, and support the troops firsthand.

Journalists who have interviewed Syrskii on the frontlines revealed that he utilizes a specialized command vehicle equipped with a powerful machine gun and multiple screens displaying live video feeds from hundreds of drones, allowing him to closely monitor the battlefield.

The Guardian and BBC reported that Syrskii commands immense respect within the army. He has earned this authority through determination, decisiveness, and ingenuity. His closest aides describe him as a "soldier to the bone."

It is said that he wakes up at 5:20 in the morning and spends an hour on physical exercises before the workday begins. Material possessions hold little interest for him.

Regarding sleep, the General admits that he gets very little rest, stating, "I sleep for four and a half hours a day. And during the full-scale war? Maybe five hours, five and a half on Sundays."

Photo: The Commanding Officer of the Ground Forces regularly visits the hottest frontlines (t.me/osirskiy)

The General is known for capturing sunset moments during his visits to the frontline and sharing the photographs with his colleagues. Despite his demanding schedule, he finds time to read historical military literature and works by ancient Greek philosophers.

Oleksandr Syrskii is married and has two sons.