Zaluzhnyi Valerii Fedorovych - born on 8 July 1973, Novohrad-Volynskyi, Zhytomyr region.

Education.
After graduating from high school, he studied at the Odesa Higher Combined Arms Command School. After graduating from the school (in 1997), he served in the military. Subsequently, he entered the Faculty of General Military Studies of the Odesa Institute of the Land Forces. In 2007, he graduated from the National Defence Academy of Ukraine. December 2020 - successfully completed a master's degree in International Relations at the National University of Ostroh Academy.

Career
In 1997, he graduated with honours from the institute, after which he passed all the stages of military service: platoon commander, training platoon commander, combat platoon commander, training company commander, cadet company commander, battalion commander.

In 2007, he was appointed Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of the 24th Separate Mechanised Brigade in Yavoriv, Lviv region. He successfully served in this position for two and a half years.

On 13 October 2009, by the decision of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he was appointed commander of the 51st separate mechanised brigade. In 2017, he was appointed Chief of Staff, First Deputy Commander of the troops of the Operational Command "West".

In 2018, he was appointed Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces. On 9 December 2019, he was appointed Commander of the Operational Command "North".

On 27 July 2021, Zaluzhnyi was appointed the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Member of the National Security and Defence Council (since 28 July 2021).

On 23 May 2022, he was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2022.

Military ranks
Major General (23 August 2017);
Lieutenant General (24 August 2021);
General (4 March 2022).

Awards and decorations
The Cross of Military Merit (6 May 2022) - for outstanding personal merits in the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people and loyalty to the military oath.

Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, III class (12 December 2016) - for personal courage, selflessness and high professionalism in the defence of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, loyalty to the oath of allegiance.

Family.
Married, two daughters.

Assessment
He is called one of the most open generals who understands the problems of soldiers and junior officers.

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi is a representative of Ukrainian senior officers who have never served in the Soviet army or studied in its educational institutions, so the "Soviet" military model is completely alien to Zaluzhnyi. As a participant in the fighting in eastern Ukraine, he has a positive attitude to the renewal of the personnel with young people and the departure from Soviet practices. One of his first steps in office was to allow the military at the front to return fire on the occupiers without the approval of higher authorities and to eliminate the need for the military to fill out unnecessary documents.