The "snow leopard"
Ukraine: What makes Zelenskyi’s new army chief tick
Following the failed 2023 offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is changing the head of the army. Valery Salushnyi has been replaced and Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi will be the new commander-in-chief. But who is this man?
Origin. Syrskyj was born in July 1965 in the Vladimir region in what is now Russia, at the time part of the Soviet Union like Ukraine. He has lived in Ukraine since the 1980s.
He studied at the Army University in Moscow, just like many of his peers who are now commanders in the Russian army. Syrskyj graduated in 1986 and joined the Soviet artillery corps.
The "Snow Leopard". In 2019, Syrsky became commander of the Ukrainian land forces. Prior to that, he had commanded the Ukrainian troops fighting against the Russian-backed insurgents in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine. There he was given the battle name "Snow Leopard".
Greatest successes. Syrskyj was responsible for some of the greatest successes against the Russian army in the ongoing war. He organized the successful defence of the capital Kiev in the first months and was named "Hero of Ukraine" in April 2022, the highest honour for a military man. In the summer of 2022, he launched the successful counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region, in which Ukraine surprised the Russians and liberated large parts of the occupied territories.
Bachmut. In early 2023, Syrsky took over the defense of the city of Bakhmut, where thousands of soldiers fell on both sides. It was one of the bloodiest battles in the war up to that point. Some military analysts questioned whether the defense of such a heavily bombed city justified the death or injury of so many people. Syrsky replied that the tenacious resistance had weakened Russia's fighting strength and tied up Wagner's mercenary troops for a long time.
Troop morale. Syrsky has a reputation for attaching particular importance to the morale of his troops. He is often seen visiting the front. In interviews, he has said that he only sleeps 4.5 hours every night and relaxes by playing sport. Syrskyj is married and has two sons.
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