1/14 Time for a thread 🧵 A legendary thread. A based thread. A brief introduction to the great man himself. General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 🇺🇦
2/14 Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi was born 8 July 1973 in Novohrad-Volynskyi to a military family. Being a warrior was in his blood. Take a look at him here as a young boy, already a soldier at heart
3/14 He started his training at the Odesa Institute of Land Forces. Graduating with honours in 1997, after which he passed all stages of military service, holding the following commander posts: platoon, training platoon, combat platoon, training & cadet company, & battalion.
4/14 In 2005 he enrolled in the National Academy of Defense of Ukraine. Graduating in 2007 with a gold medal, he was appointed Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade in Yavoriv, Lviv Oblast. Here he is as a young man, handsome devil 🤩
5/14 After serving in his role with the 24th for 2 and a half years, he was appointed commander of the 51st separate mechanized brigade, commanding it until 2012.
6/14 In 2014 he graduated from Ivan Cherniakhovskyi National Defense University of Ukraine. As the top graduate of operational and strategic training, he was awarded the Transitional Sword of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
7/14 Zaluzhnyi cut his teeth in combat when in mid-July 2014, he was appointed deputy commander of sector "C" in Donetsk Oblast, in the early months of russia's initial invasion.
8/14 His meteoric rise continued.
2017: appointed Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of Operational Command West.
2018: appointed Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces.
9/14
December 2019: appointed Commander of Operational Command North.
December 2020: graduated from the National University Ostroh Academy with a master's in International Relations.
10/14 July 27, 2021: President Zelenskyy appointed Zaluzhnyi Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Ruslan Khomchak in this position. Next day he was appointed a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
11/14 On March 5 2022, he was promoted to General (four stars), the highest rank in the Ukrainian armed forces. His strategic genius has been hailed across the free world, and Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in 2022
12/14 But the legend is a human too, here he is with his wife Elena Zaluzhna. They have two daughters together, The eldest serves in the Kyiv military garrison, and the youngest is studying in Odesa. Clearly they're a couple who remain very much in love.
13/14 And as a person he is said to be humble, gentle and understanding of the troubles of the men who serve under him. A true leader who inspires respect through being respectful, not through fear.
14/14 I dedicate this thread to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and their amazing command. If you enjoyed it, like, retweet, hit me up with a follow, or even better...
Help the men and women who Zaluzhnyi commands by donating to @BackAndAlive
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