The Economist explains

Who is Oleksandr Syrsky, the head of Ukraine’s ground forces?

The colonel-general is in operational control over the latest counter-offensive

Colonel general Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander of the Ground Forces of Ukraine visits his troops
Image: Reuters

Editor’s note: On February 8th Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, replaced Valery Zaluzhny with Oleksandr Syrsky as the commander of his armed forces.

THE TACTICS of Valery Zaluzhny, the overall commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, will be studied by military historians. But the fate of the country rests upon the shoulders of other men further down the chain of command, too—among them Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrsky, who leads the country’s ground forces. Who is he, and how is he likely to prosecute Ukraine’s war effort?

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