Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi (; born 8 July 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

and diplomat who is currently serving as

Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom () is the ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom. The first Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom assumed his post in 1992, the same year a Ukrainian emb ...

. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

from 27 July 2021 until 8 February 2024. He was also concurrently a member of the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

. Zaluzhnyi was previously 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), and Commander of the 51st Guards Mechanized Brigade (2009–2012). Zaluzhnyi was named by ''

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'' magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. He has received praise for his skill at "adapting to a fast-changing battlefield" through effective delegation and information gathering during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. He was dismissed from his position as Commander-in-Chief on 8 February 2024 amid increasing tension between him and President

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

. Zaluzhnyi was appointed the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom in March 2024, and Ukraine's permanent representative to the

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in March 2025, in addition to his position as ambassador.

Early life and education

Zaluzhnyi was born on 8 July 1973 in Novohrad-Volynskyi,

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

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(now Zviahel, Ukraine). In 1989, Zaluzhnyi graduated from the city school No. 9 and entered the

Zviahel Zviahel (, ; ) is a city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, ...

Machine-Building Technical School, from which he graduated in 1991 with honors. He later entered the general military faculty of the Odesa 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, and battalion commander.

Military career

In 2005, he entered the National Academy of Defence of Ukraine. In 2007, he graduated with a gold medal and was appointed Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the 24th Mechanized Brigade in

Yavoriv Yavoriv (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It is situated about from the Poland, Polish border. It serves as the administrative centre of Yavoriv Raion and is situated approximately west of the oblast capital, Lviv. Yavoriv ...

Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. The capital city, capital of the oblast is the city of Lviv. The current population is History Name The region is named ...

. He successfully served in this position for two and a half years. In October 2009, he was appointed commander of the 51st Mechanized Brigade, which he led until 2012.

2014–2021: Russo-Ukrainian war

In 2014, Zaluzhnyi graduated from the Ivan Cherniakhovskyi National Defence University of Ukraine. In 2017, he was appointed Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the

Operational Command West The Operational Command West ( OC West, ) is a formation of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in western Ukraine. Its headquarters is located in Rivne. History When Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union, there were three Military Distric ...

. The next year, in 2018, Zaluzhnyi was appointed Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine – First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces. According to an interview with ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', in 2019, Zaluzhnyi was detained at the airport in

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, where he had arrived to participate in the

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summit. The reason was that he was put on the international wanted list at the request of the Russian Federation. During his detention by

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

, he managed to call Ukraine's ambassador to NATO, who subsequently resolved the situation. In December 2019, he was appointed Commander of the Operational Command North. In December 2020 he graduated from the National University Ostroh Academy with a master's degree in International Relations.

2021–2024: Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

On 27 July 2021, President

appointed Zaluzhnyi as

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine () is the professional head of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The position was created by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 28 March 2020, before which the Chief of the General Staff was the c ...

, replacing General Ruslan Khomchak in this position. The following day he was also appointed as a member of the

. Zaluzhnyi is widely regarded as an open-minded officer. Representing a new generation of Ukrainian officers, Zaluzhnyi has radically departed from established Soviet military practices. One of his first steps in office was to allow the military at the front to open fire in response to the enemy without the consent of the upper leadership and eliminate the need for the military to fill out unnecessary documents. Regarding his priorities as Commander-in-Chief, Zaluzhnyi said in 2021: On 5 March 2022, 10 days after the

, President Zelenskyy promoted him to the rank of General, the highest possible rank in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. International experts and analysts have given Zaluzhnyi high marks for the effectiveness of his command at the front against the Russian military. Reporting by the

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

in 2023 and

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in 2024, allege that Zaluzhnyi and other Ukrainians carried out the

2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage On 26 September 2022, a series of underwater explosions and consequent gas leaks occurred on 3 of 4 Nord Stream pipes, rendering them inoperable. The Nord Stream 1 (NS1) and Nord Stream 2 (NS2) are natural gas pipelines. They are two of 23 ...

. He has not been formally connected to the event by Ukraine or international governments, and has denied involvement. Defenceofkyiv

Zaluzhny has been among the most popular people in Ukraine in 2022, in January 2023, when he was liked by 87% of Ukrainian respondents and disliked by 4%, and in December 2023 when 88% of Ukrainians expressed trust in Zaluzhnyi. In January 2023, he received a US$1 million inheritance from Gregory Stepanets, a Ukrainian-American. Zaluzhny donated it all to the Ukrainian Armed Forces and humanitarian nonprofits in Ukraine. In June 2023, Zaluzhnyi appealed to Western allies to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and

MGM-140 ATACMS The MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS ) is a supersonic tactical ballistic missile designed and manufactured by the American defense company Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV), and later, through acquisitions, Lockheed Martin. The missile uses ...

tactical ballistic missiles, saying Ukraine's counter-offensive was being slowed by a lack of modern fighter jets and artillery ammunition. He told ''The Economist'' in an interview published on 1 November 2023, "Just like in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

we have reached the level of technology that puts us into a stalemate. There will most likely be no deep and beautiful breakthrough." Zaluzhnyi said he underestimated the Russian leadership's willingness to sacrifice its soldiers, saying that "Russia has lost at least 150,000 dead. In any other country such casualties would have stopped the war." Zaluzhnyi's statement that the war had reached a "stalemate" was publicly criticized by President Zelenskyy. In December 2023, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense led by

Rustem Umerov Rustem Enverovych Umerov (, ; born 19 April 1982) is a Ukrainian politician, businessman, investor, philanthropist and the current Ministry of Defence (Ukraine), Defence Minister of Ukraine. Member of the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in- ...

proposed to mobilize 450,000 to 500,000 additional Ukrainian citizens, including Ukrainian men living abroad, into the Ukrainian Armed Forces. On 26 December, Zaluzhnyi said that the military command had not formally requested the mobilization, but the Ukrainian General Staff believed that 450-500,000 citizens should be mobilized to create new military units, while "forecasting the losses we may incur next year." On 2 February 2024, Zaluzhnyi wrote that "the weakness of the

international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...

' regime means Russia … is still able to deploy its military-industrial complex in pursuit of a

war of attrition The War of Attrition (; ) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from 1967 to 1970. Following the 1967 Six-Day War, no serious diplomatic efforts were made to resolve t ...

against us. We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by ussiain mobilizing human resources and how that compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures." He concluded that "the number one priority here is mastery of an entire arsenal of (relatively) cheap, modern and highly effective, unmanned vehicles and other technological means. ...this means nothing less than the wholesale redesign of battlefield operations – and the abandoning of outdated, stereotypical thinking." On , Zaluzhnyi was replaced as Commander-in-Chief by

Oleksandr Syrskyi Oleksandr Stanislavovych Syrskyi (; born 26 July 1965) is a Ukrainian military officer. Holding the rank of four-star general, he has served as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since . Previously, he was the commander o ...

, previously the commander of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...

. Following his replacement, he was decorated with the award

Hero of Ukraine A Hero of Ukraine (HOU; ) is the highest national decoration that can be conferred upon an individual citizen by the president of Ukraine. The decoration was created in 1998 by President Leonid Kuchma. As of 6 June 2025, the total number of re ...

by Zelenskyy. The dismissal came amid increasing tension between him and Zelenskyy. He was formally dismissed from the military by Zelenskyy on "health grounds" on 9 May, but was allowed to wear a military uniform.

Post-military career

First Minister John Swinney meet with Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK in octoober 2024 - 1

On 7 March 2024, Zelenskyy named Zaluzhnyi as the new Ukrainian ambassador to the UK. He formally presented his credentials on 10 July 2024. On 20 December 2024, Zaluzhnyi released his memoir titled ''My War'', the first part of a planned three-volume autobiography. The book was edited by his wife. On 3 March 2025, Zelenskyy appointed Zaluzhnyi as Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the

, in addition to his role as ambassador to the UK. In May 2025, speaking by video to a technological weapons forum in Kyiv, Zaluzhnyi said "I hope that there are not people in this room who still hope for some kind of miracle or lucky sign that will bring peace to Ukraine, the borders of 1991 or 2022" and he recommended the approach of a hi-tech war of survival given Ukraine's smaller army and difficult economic circumstances. He said "Ukraine is not capable of another war in terms of demography and economy".

Military ranks

* Major general (23 August 2017) *

Lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

(24 August 2021) *

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

(4 March 2022)

Awards

;Ukrainian *

(9 February 2024) * Cross of Military Merit (6 May 2022) * Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class (12 December 2016) * The insignia "Personalized firearm" (26 July 2023) * All-Ukrainian Literary and Art Prize named after Bohdan and Levko Lepkyi Brothers (2022) * Order of Saint Great-Martyr George the Victorybearer (21 December 2022) * Honorary citizen of Yavoriv (2023) ;Foreign * Officer's Cross of the

Order of the Cross of Vytis The Order of the Cross of Vytis () is a Lithuanian presidential award conferred for heroic defence of Lithuania's freedom and independence. November 23 is a holiday in honour of the Order of the Cross of Vytis. History Interwar period Reje ...

(6 July 2023, Lithuania)

Legacy

In February 2023, the village of Vatutine, Kharkiv Oblast was set to be renamed ''Zaluzhne'' in honor of Zaluzhnyi. Streets in Pokrov, Stara Syniava, Konotop, and Malyn are named after him.

Family

Zaluzhnyi is married with two daughters. His older daughter serves in the military, his younger is studying to become a physician.

Notes

References

Information

генерал-лейтенант ЗАЛУЖНИЙ Валерій Федорович
// ''zsu.gov.ua''
Gen. Mark A. Milley and Gen. Valery Zaluzhny
Washington Post, 27 January 2023

Interviews

* * ''Олександр Штупун,'
«Хочемо відійти від написання бойових наказів зразка 1943 року. Від цих безглуздих доповідей біля карт» — командувач військ ОК «Північ» генерал-майор Валерій Залужний
// ''armyinform.com.ua'', 15 February 2020. *

External links

Official Biography - Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

// Радіо Свобода, 27 July 2021.
«Кожен солдат для мене — особистість». Принципи нового головнокомандувача ЗСУ Валерія Залужного
// ''Новинарня'', 27 July 2021. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaluzhnyi, Valerii 1973 births Living people People from Zviahel Odesa Military Academy alumni Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine alumni Ukrainian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class Generals of the Army (Ukraine) Recipients of the Cross of Military Merit (Ukraine) Recipients of the title of Hero of Ukraine 21st-century diplomats Ambassadors of Ukraine to the United Kingdom Permanent representatives of Ukraine to the International Maritime Organization