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Warmatrix

War Matrix - Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Global Age 1991 CE - present, Generals and leaders

Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Valerii Zaluzhnyi was the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the Ukraine from 2021 CE to 2024 CE. He is credited with a large role in transforming the army from a bureaucratic Soviet-style organization to a flexible fighting force.
Zaluzhnyi was born in 1973 CE in a family with a history in the military, in a town where most men were too. His first education was at a technical school. After graduation, with Ukraine freshly independent, he switched to a military career. For about two decades, he combined study with work in the field, steadily climbing in rank from platoon commandor to general.
From a young age Zaluzhnyi appears as a calm, sober, serious man. He is modest and shuns publicity, preferring to operate in the background. Zaluzhnyi is a true soldier, sometimes clashing with the politicians in Kiev.
Zaluzhnyi graduated from the national defense university in 2014 CE, just months after Russia annexed the the Crimea. Soon he was busy helping to upgrade the Ukrainian army, which was fighting rebels in the Donbas from that time onward. Upon promotion, he dispensed with cumbersome procedures and allowed his troops to react quickly to acute threats on the battlefield, on their own initiative. The changes were profound. When Russia invaded the Ukraine in 2022 CE, the Ukrainian army was in much better shape. Despite fears of being overrun, it held its ground against an enemy that on paper was superior.
The Ukrainians have nicknamed Zaluzhnyi the 'Iron General'. He served as commander-in-chief, then in 2024 CE was sidelined in favor of Oleksandr Syrskyi, possibly for the failure of Ukraine's 2023 CE offensive, possibly because of political rivalry with Ukranian president Zelensky, possibly both. He now serves in diplomatic roles.