Key Military Commanders

General Valerii Zaluzhnyi commanded the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2021 until February 2024. Often called "the Iron General" or "Zaluzha," he became internati…

General Oleksandr Syrskyi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in February 2024, replacing Valerii Zaluzhnyi. Born in Russia, he becam…

Major General Kyrylo Budanov heads Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Directorate (HUR). He became internationally known for his accurate predictions about the Russ…

Colonel-General Mykhailo Drapatyi was appointed Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in late 2024. He previously served in multiple command roles during the…

Volodymyr Zelensky is the President of Ukraine and constitutional Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A former actor and comedian who won …

Lieutenant General Mykola Oleshchuk has commanded the Ukrainian Air Force since 2021. He became internationally prominent as the public face of Ukraine's campai…

Colonel General Rostyslav Pavliuk was appointed Commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces in February 2024 after the dismissal of General Oleksandr Pavliuk (no relat…

Major General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi commands the "Tavria" Operational-Strategic Group, which oversees Ukraine's most contested southern-eastern front including t…

Lieutenant General Mykola Balan has commanded the Ukrainian Air Force since 2020, leading Ukraine's air defense efforts throughout the full-scale Russian invasi…

Colonel General Serhii Nayev commanded Ukraine's Joint Forces during the critical Battle of Kyiv and oversaw the successful defense of the capital in February–M…

Major General Dmytro Marchenko became one of Ukraine's most recognized war heroes for his vocal and effective defense of Mykolaiv in the spring of 2022. His for…

Vasyl Maliuk became Acting Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in May 2022 after President Zelensky dismissed his predecessor Ivan Bakanov amid accusa…

Major General Viktor Horenko commands the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine (Syli Spetsialnykh Operatsii, SSO). Under his command, the SSO conducted deep rec…

Rustem Umerov, a Crimean Tatar politician and businessman, was appointed Minister of Defence of Ukraine in September 2023, succeeding Oleksii Reznikov. A parlia…

Oleksii Reznikov served as Minister of Defence of Ukraine from November 2021 until September 2023. A lawyer and former Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration o…

Rear Admiral Oleksii Neyizhpapa commanded Ukraine's Naval Forces during the opening years of the full-scale invasion. Faced with an overwhelming Russian Black S…

Colonel General Andriy Kovalchuk commanded Ukraine's Southern Operational Command (headquartered in Odesa), which bore responsibility for the Kherson Oblast fro…

Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk was appointed Commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces in February 2024 following the appointment of Oleksandr Syrskyi as Comma…

Major General Andrii Hnatov was appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in March 2025, replacing Anatolii Bargylevych. A career offi…

Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol commanded Ukraine's Joint Forces in 2024 and previously led the Marine Corps during the defence of Mariupol in 2022. He was dismi…

Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, ordered and has directed the full-scale invasion of Ukraine since February 24, 2022. As Supreme Commander-i…

General Valery Gerasimov has been Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces since 2012. He was appointed overall commander of Russian forces in Ukr…

General Sergei "General Armageddon" Surovikin commanded Russian forces in Ukraine from October 2022 to January 2023. During his tenure he ordered the systematic…

Yevgeny Prigozhin founded and led the Wagner Group private military company, which played a major role in Russia's capture of Bakhmut — the longest battle of th…

General Alexander Dvornikov, nicknamed "General Armageddon" (a title later applied to Surovikin), was Russia's first overall theater commander for Operation Z. …

Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev directed the Russian siege of Mariupol in 2022 from the National Defense Management Center, earning the nickname "Butcher of M…

Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky commands Russia's elite Airborne Forces (VDV). He gained a reputation as one of Russia's more competent tactical commanders du…

Colonel General Rustam Muradov commanded Russia's Eastern Military District and oversaw forces in the Donetsk operations area in 2022–2023. He was reportedly re…

Colonel General Aleksandr Lapin commanded Russia's Central Military District forces deployed to Ukraine in 2022. He was publicly humiliated by Wagner chief Yevg…

Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev commanded Russia's 8th Guards Combined Arms Army (headquartered in Novocherkassk), which bore primary responsibility for opera…

Colonel General Oleg Salyukov has served as Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces since 2014, giving him the longest continuous tenure among senior Ru…

Colonel General Aleksandr Zhuravlyov commanded Russia's Western Military District and was responsible for operations in Kharkiv Oblast during 2022. After the Ru…

General Sergei Shoigu served as Russia's Minister of Defence from 2012 and oversaw the Russian armed forces during the planning and first two years of the full-…

Andrei Belousov, an economist and former First Deputy Prime Minister, was appointed Minister of Defence of Russia in May 2024, replacing Sergei Shoigu. His appo…

Colonel General Yunus-bek Yevkurov, the former head of the Republic of Ingushetia, serves as a Deputy Minister of Defence of Russia. After the June 2023 Wagner …

Lieutenant General Oleg Tsokov was a deputy commander of Russia's Southern Military District and one of the most senior Russian officers killed during the war. …

Colonel General Gennady Anashkin commands Russia's "Group South" forces operating in the Donetsk direction, succeeding earlier commanders in that grouping. Unde…