Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi (; born July 8, 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star general who serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since July 27, 2021. He is a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine since July 28, 2021. Zaluzhnyi was the Commander of the North Operational Command (2019–2021), Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces (2018), Chief of Staff — First Deputy Commander of the West Operational Command (2017), Commander of the 51st Guards Mechanized Brigade (2009–2012). Biography . In 1989, he graduated from the city school No. 9, entered the Novograd-Volyn Machine-Building Technical School, in which he graduated in 1993 with honors. He later entered the general military faculty of the Odessa Institute of Land Forces. In 1997 he graduated with honors from the institute, after which he passed all stages of military service: platoon commander, training platoon commander, combat platoon commander, training company commander, cadet company commander, battalion commander. In 2005 he entered the National Academy of Defense of Ukraine. In 2007 he graduated with a gold medal, was appointed Chief of Staff and First  Deputy Commander of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast. He successfully served in this position for two and a half years. By the decision of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on October 13, 2009, he was appointed commander of the 51st separate mechanized brigade. He commanded it until 2012. In 2014 he graduated from the Ivan Cherniakhovskyi National Defense University of Ukraine. As the best graduate of the operational and strategic level of training, he was awarded the Transitional Sword of the Queen of Great Britain. For 2017 - Chief of  Staff — First Deputy Commander of the Operational Command West. For 2018 - Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces. On December 9, 2019, he was appointed Commander of the Operational Command North. In December during 2020, he graduated from the National University Ostroh Academy with a master's degree in International Relations. On July 27, 2021, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Zaluzhnyi Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He replaced Ruslan Khomchak in this position. The next day he was appointed a member of the  National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. He is called one of the most open-minded generals, who understands the problems of soldiers and junior officers. As a representative of Ukrainian senior officers and a participant in the hostilities in the Donbass, who did not serve in the USSR, he has a positive attitude to the renewal of personnel by young people and the departure from Soviet practices. One of his first steps in office was to allow the military at the front to open fire in response to the occupiers without the consent of the top leadership and eliminate  the need for the military to fill out unnecessary documents. Regarding his priorities as Commander-in-Chief, Zaluzhnyi said: "The overall course of reforming Ukraine's Armed Forces in line with NATO principles and standards remains irreversible. And the key here is the principles. Changes must take place primarily in the worldview and attitude towards people. I would like you to turn your face to the people, to your subordinates. My attitude towards people has not changed throughout my service." On 2 November 2021 Zaluzhnyi appointed Dmytro Yarosh, former leader of Right Sector, as his Adviser; however, according to "Ukrayinska  Pravda", Yarosh was dismissed from this position in December 2021, when the (army) post of public advisers was liquidated. On March 5, 2022, in the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Zaluzhnyi was promoted by President Zelenskyy to the rank of General, the highest possible rank in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.