Syrskyj replaces Saluschnyj: The “Snow Leopard” is supposed to bring about a turning point in the Ukraine war. The colonel general is ethnic Russian, was born in the Russian region of Vladimir and has lived in what is now Ukraine since 1980.
He was a commander in the defense against the Russian occupation of eastern Ukraine from 2014, disguised as a separatist movement. The married father of one son has been in command of Ukraine's land forces since 2019.