Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi, who headed the Ground Forces of Ukraine since 2019, he was promoted to commander of the armed forces Thursday, instead of Valery Zaluzhnyi, as the war with Russia approaches its third year. But who is Sirsky nicknamed “Snow Leopard” and what are his most important victories to date.

Based on the biggest victories and other data that may be relevant, Reuters compiles a small portrait of Sirsky, who was already a key Ukrainian figure during the full-scale invasion of Russia.

Syrsky, born and studied in Russia

Sirsky was born in July 1965 in the Vladimir region of Russia, which was then part of the Soviet Union. He has lived in Ukraine since the 1980s. Like many people his age in the Ukrainian armed forces, he studied in Moscow at the Higher Military Command School, and some of his classmates have since become Russian commanders, graduating in 1986 and serving at the age of five in the Soviet artillery. Some military analysts believe that his tactics on the battlefield reflect his Soviet hierarchical training.

Sirsky was nicknamed “Snow Leopard”

Syrskyi headed the Ground Forces of Ukraine in 2019. Previously, he commanded the Ukrainian troops fighting pro-Russian forces in the east of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, the fighting with which began in 2014, and the general received the nickname “Snow Leopard”.

Syrsky’s greatest victories

Some of Ukraine’s greatest victories during the full-scale invasion of Russia were celebrated by Syrskyi. He led the successful defense of the capital Kyiv in the first months, and in April 2022 he was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country’s highest award. In July 2022, Syrskyi planned and carried out a lightning counteroffensive, which pushed Russian troops away from the city of Kharkiv and regained part of the territory to the east and southeast.

Bakhmut

Early last year, Sirski led the defense of the city of Bakhmut, where thousands of soldiers from both sides died in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Some military analysts questioned whether fighting for a ruined city was worth so many killed and wounded. Sirskyi said Ukraine’s dogged defense of Bakhmut harmed Russia’s overall military effort by eliminating Wagner’s mercenary group.

Morale of the troops

Syrskyi says that his priority is the morale of the troops, in the context of which he is often photographed when he visits soldiers at the front. He told Western media that he sleeps four and a half hours a day and rests by visiting the gym. Syrskyi is married and has two sons.