Born in Russia, nicknamed the “Butcher”… who is Oleksandr Syrsky, the Ukrainian commander leading the incursion into Kursk ?

Oleksandr Syrsky, le commandant en chef de l'armée ukrainienne le 12 février 2024 à Kiev. MAXPPP – Pool /Ukrainian Presidentia

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrsky, was born in Russia and received his military education in Moscow. Today, he is leading the unprecedented scale of the attack by Kiev's forces on Russian territory.

After months of setbacks to the Russian army in eastern Ukraine, Kiev's troops crossed the border on May 6, launching the largest offensive on Russian territory by a foreign army since World War II.

At the helm of this ambitious and risky operation was Oleksandr Syrsky, a 59-year-old general who was named commander of the Ukrainian army in February and until then enjoyed a measured reputation among the troops. This is the first time that this rather dry and uncharismatic career soldier has gained so much popularity among his compatriots, while rumors were circulating just a few weeks ago about his possible replacement.

"Syrsky played a key role" in the attack on Kursk, confirmed to the ;#39;AFP a senior Ukrainian security sector official on condition of anonymity. "The fact that, in the most difficult conditions, he being able to develop this operation and carrying it out shows that he is a great military figure", he added. "He's a very competent and well-trained general".

Born in Russia

Ironically, the man leading the assault on Russian territory was born there in 1965, in the Vladimir region, then in the USSR but now in Russia. Like most senior officers of his generation, he studied at the Red Army command school in Moscow. In the 1980s, he was deployed to Ukraine, then still a Soviet republic.