Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Zaluzhny will become a legendary figure in the history of Ukraine/Press Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Despite the fact that Washington, Moscow and Europe expected Russia to seize the territory of Ukraine in a few days, our high command completely turned the course of history.
In many ways, this is the merit of Valery Zaluzhny, Channel 24 reports, citing Politico. It was he who organized and led the battle, after which the Russian troops were forced to retreat.
What the world media write about Zaluzhny
The military successes of Ukraine, which not a single country in the world predicted – this is the merit of Zaluzhny, a 48-year-old general who was appointed to serve in July 2021.
Unlike a number of other heads of the army (David Petraeus or Norman Schwarzkopf), Zaluzhny avoids the image of a star commander. Consequently, he became the personification of a new generation of officers.
Zaluzhny's skills were formed in practice – in the difficult eight-year war in the Donbass. He received theory outside the front – during joint exercises with NATO forces at training grounds throughout Europe. This experience not only changed the view of the commander-in-chief, but also minimized the authoritarian nature of the Ukrainian army.
It was cooperation with NATO that “gave birth” to a group of professional officers who adopted Western standards and helped introduce a decentralized way of warfare.
In September 2021, two months before the escalation of Russian troops, Zaluzny already spoke about the impending attack, emphasizing that the threat there is and we need to prepare for it.
We are doing everything for this. We are also conducting a complex of exercises, including involving our Western partners,” the general commented.
In January, Zaluzhny added that the Ukrainian military was ready for a full-scale war. At the same time, he stressed that in fact the war has been going on since 2014.
February 24: the beginning of a full-scale war
February 24, when the Russian tanks headed for Kyiv, and the first missiles hit the territory of Ukraine, Zaluzhny became the chief commander of Europe – the only one who has real experience in the introduction of hostilities.
His experience against the invaders in the temporarily occupied Donbas allowed Zaluzhny to delegate command, so the commanders of small dispersed units began to act independently, abandoning the old Soviet top-down leadership model.
Young soldiers and their officers “hardened” the Donbas experience and realized that ” may not wait for the general's order before making a decision.”
One U.S. official, who chose to remain anonymous, said that compared to 2014, Ukrainians are “better adaptable and more proactive.” According to him, our acquired flexibility has become a decisive success factor against the Russian invasion. that the appointment of Zaluzhny to the highest position was one of the key parts of the reform of the military leadership, which involved the division of operational duties and responsibility for planning in the General Staff. In addition, the serviceman took part in the campaign to modernize weapons.
We want to move away from maps – from writing combat orders of the 1943 model, Zaluzny emphasized in an interview.
Now the use of drones to destroy Russian columns and adjust artillery fire kilometers away from the front, demonstrates a method of warfare that has been talked about for years and which Ukraine managed to implement.
A modern general of a modernized army
Zaluzhny emphasized that the Ukrainian army is filled with young, but professional soldiers who have leadership qualities.
These are new shoots that will completely change the army in five years. Almost everyone knows a foreign language perfectly, works well with gadgets, and is well-read. New sergeants. These are not scapegoats, as, for example, in the Russian army, but real helpers,” Zaluzhny said.
The hit-and-run tactics used by Ukrainian soldiers this year have had a stunning effect, significantly weakening the Russian war machine.
Pay attention. Of the 120 battalion tactical groups that Russia has thrown into Ukraine On February 24, 40 – including those who participated in the assault on Kyiv and Chernigov – withdrew to Belarus to restore their combat capability.
Almost 29 of these groups are now incapable of combat due to losses caused by small groups of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Thousands of Javelin, Panzerfaust, Stinger and other equipment provided by NATO countries have become a hit on social networks. However, cultural changes in the Ukrainian troops had a decisive influence. We are talking about training in NATO, which allowed us to weed out the Soviet mentality.
Their infantry, artillery, innovative skills and the ability to use drones and synchronize them are impressive, – said the American ex-officer, repeatedly visited Ukraine for military consultations.
He added that the Ukrainian special forces and troops were ideal.
Not a star, but a legend
Zaluzhny made no secret of the fact that he was trying to increase funding in support of the military before a full-scale war. But his main request to politicians was to give the soldiers the opportunity to do their job.
As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, I am responsible for the combat readiness, training and use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Zaluzny said in an interview with Radio Liberty September.
Since the start of the large-scale Russian invasion in late February, Zaluzhny has avoided interviews and made little public appearances, posting occasional updates on Facebook. Some of his statements directly contradicted what politicians were saying in the media.
I want to turn to politicians who, while in the rear cities, talk about “treason” and make “assessments “operational environment. With your irresponsible statements, it seems that the enemy took something without any problems, or that the surrender of the country is allegedly being prepared, you insult our soldiers,” he wrote.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine defends not only the country, but also the image of the defense forces , adding that we heroically oppose the enemy, who was called the second army in the world.
At the same time, Zaluzhny avoids any “star” status, but success in resisting the Russian invaders will inevitably enter him into Ukrainian history as legendary figure. In one of the recent patriotic videos, he was even given the nickname Iron Indestructible Zaluzhny.
