Zaluzhny Turns 53: A Collection of Little-Known Facts About the General
On July 8, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and current Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, celebrates his 53rd birthday. To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled some little-known facts about the general, who has become one of the key figures in modern Ukrainian history.
Zaluzhny was born on July 8, 1973, in Novograd-Volynskyi (now Zviahel) into a family of military personnel. From childhood, he dreamed of becoming a soldier. He studied at the General Military Faculty of the Odesa Institute of the Ground Forces.
In 1997, he graduated with honors from the institute, after which he rose through all the ranks of military service: platoon commander, training platoon commander, combat platoon commander, training company commander, cadet company commander, and battalion commander. As the top graduate of the National Defense University of Ukraine’s operational-strategic level program, he was awarded the Queen’s Sword.
In mid-July 2014, Zaluzhny was appointed deputy commander of Sector “C,” which was being formed in the Donetsk region. Since then, he has commanded nearly all the units established there. As of 2017, he was Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Operational Command “West.” As of 2018, he was Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces. On December 9, 2019, he was appointed Commander of Operational Command “North.”
On July 27, 2021, the President of Ukraine appointed Valerii Zaluzhnyi as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On May 9, 2024, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree dismissing Valerii Zaluzhnyi from the military for health reasons, with the right to wear a military uniform. Later, a presidential decree was issued appointing Zaluzhny as Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi has two adult daughters—Khrystyna and Arina. His younger daughter, Khristina, was born before Zaluzhnyy married his wife, Olena. She earned a medical degree from Odesa National Medical University, works in the healthcare sector, and leads a private life.
Arina, who is considered the general’s stepdaughter, has also chosen a career in the military. It is known that she is serving in the Kyiv garrison; however, information about her rank, specialization, and duties is not disclosed for security reasons.
Valeriy and Olena Zaluzhny have been married for over two decades. According to available information, the couple has no children together; instead, they have raised Khristina and Arina, who are daughters from their previous marriages.
- Zaluzhny is the first Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who did not serve in the Soviet Army. By the time he graduated from his first military university in 1997, the Soviet Union had already collapsed.
- On September 26, 2022, the influential magazine *Time* featured Zaluzhny’s portrait on its cover. He became the first Ukrainian military officer to appear on the cover of this prestigious publication.
- In April 2022, following the rout of Russian occupying forces in the Kyiv region, the leading American publication Politico dubbed Zaluzhny the “Iron General.”
- Zaluzhny enjoys 1980s music and listens to the German band Rammstein.
- Hiking is a long-standing passion of Zaluzhny’s. He is a proponent of domestic tourism and loves to travel around Ukraine.
Earlier, Zaluzhny emphasized the danger of the illusion that the war would end quickly.
