The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine turns 60: how Syrskyi changed the course of the war
26 July 2025 12:10
on July 26, 2025, Oleksandr Syrskyi celebrates his 60th birthday. The colonel general has become a symbol of resilience and professionalism, having gone through all the key stages of the Ukrainian-Russian war: from the first fighting in 2014 to the large-scale full-scale invasion of 2022-2025.
This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian".
Syrsky was born on July 26, 1965, to a military family. He spent his childhood in Kharkiv, where he graduated from high school. He received his military education at the Moscow Combined Arms Command School, then at the Armed Forces Academy (operational and tactical level) and the National Defense University (operational and strategic level), all with honors.
He began his career in Poltava region as a platoon commander of a motorized rifle division. In the 1990s, he headed a National Guard regiment in Chuhuiv, and in the 2000s, the 72nd Mechanized Brigade in Bila Tserkva. In 2013, he was deputy chief of the Main Command Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for cooperation with NATO.
With the outbreak of the war in the east in 2014, Syrskyi became the Chief of Staff of the ATO, and then the Commander of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2017, he became the head of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO). In 2019, he was appointed Commander of the Land Forces, and in this position he faced the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. Since February 2024, he has been the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
He was promoted to the rank of colonel general in August 2020. In March 2022, he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star for the successful defense of the Kyiv region. In August 2024, President Zelensky promoted him to the rank of general.
Key operations under Syrskyi’s command
- Debaltseve offensive (2015) – as the head of the ATO headquarters, Syrskyi led the evacuation of 4,500 Ukrainian soldiers against more than 20,000 militants. For this, he received the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III degree.
- Defence of Kyiv (March-April 2022 ) – under his leadership, two rings of defence were created in the capital, bridge crossings in the Kyiv region were destroyed and a dam on the Irpin River was blown up, preventing the enemy’s advance.
- Kharkiv Counteroffensive (September 2022 ) – In September 2022, Oleksandr Syrskyi led the Armed Forces counteroffensive in the Kharkiv region, which led to the liberation of hundreds of settlements, including Izyum, Balakliia, Kupiansk, as well as Lyman and Sviatohirsk in Donetsk region.
- Defensive operations in Soledar, Bakhmut, and Avdiivka as part of the Khortytsia group.
- KurskOperation (summer 2024 ) – In the summer of 2024, the Kursk Operation began under the command of General Syrsky, which was the first offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine into Russia. The operation was aimed at distracting Russian troops from offensive operations on the Sumy and Kharkiv directions, forcing Russia to go on the defensive on its own territory, and neutralizing the threat to Ukrainian units. “We were harshly criticized because we were defending ourselves and retreating. I had to do something, let’s say, extraordinary,” the chief said about the planning of the Kursk operation. According to Syrsky, at least 80,000 Russian servicemen were killed or wounded during the operation. The Kursk offensive led to an increase in morale among Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who were “desperately waiting for news of progress at the front.”
The general is known for his physical endurance: he does up to 100 push-ups and sleeps for 4-5 hours. According to Syrsky, “he rarely, if ever, sleeps.” He likes sports, and has equipped his headquarters with exercise equipment. In an interview with The Washington Post, on the eve of his 60th birthday, he said that he had no plans to retire, despite reaching the age limit for service, because he was motivated by his personal responsibility for protecting Ukrainians and his desire to “do more and better.”
Interesting facts
- He has been married twice. From his first marriage, he has a son, Anton, who currently lives in Australia.
- He has a son, Oleksandr, from his second marriage to Tamara Kharchenko.
- Syrsky’s parents and his younger brother live in Russia, but he stopped visiting his relatives after 1991, and the last time he traveled to Russia was in 2000 to attend his grandmother’s funeral.
Oleksandr Syrsky is one of the key strategists of our time, who carried his dedication, endurance, and leadership through the years of war. His 60th birthday is an opportunity to appreciate his experience, intelligence and uncompromising resilience in the struggle for Ukraine’s freedom.
