Oleksandr Syrsky, General 200, the Butcher

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, spoke about the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky (spelled the Ukrainian way as Oleksandr Syrsky). Medvedev said that he could only feel hatred, contempt and disgust in this connection.

Photo: https://t.me/stranaua

Medvedev admitted his hatred of everyone involved in the collapse of the USSR. He also set out his aversion to Western countries that did their best to set Russia and Ukraine against each other.

"I feel disgust for a man who used to be a Soviet Russian officer, but became a Bandera traitor who violated the oath and serves the Nazis and destroys his relatives," Dmitry Medvedev said.

"Let the earth burn under his feet!” the politician concluded.

In Ukraine, Syrsky is known as Butcher

Syrsky was born in 1965 in the Vladimir region of Russia. He graduated from the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School. In 2013, he served as first deputy chief of the Main Command Centre of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; in 2014, he became the chief of staff of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in Donbass. In 2019, he was appointed commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Due to large losses that the Ukrainian troops suffered under Syrsky's command, soldiers nicknamed him as Butcher and General 200 (refers to "cargo 200” or the killed). Syrsky commanded the forces that were fighting for Bakhmut sending soldiers into battle wave after wave. For this and other reasons, Syrsky is extremely unpopular among ordinary Ukrainians, Politico said.

In a conversation with The Washington Post, the Ukrainian military also said that they did not like Syrsky. They blame him for immense losses in Bakhmut, although the city "had no strategic significance.” As a result, the city came under the control of the Russian troops, while the Ukrainian army lost thousands of soldiers, many others were seriously injured.

At the same time, President Zelensky called Syrsky "the most experienced Ukrainian commander.” On February 8, Zelensky announced the appointment of Syrsky to the post of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

Zelensky will have difficult times after removing Zaluzhny

Russian MP from the Crimean region Mikhail Sheremet said that Zelensky would face difficult times after Zaluzhny's resignation. Zaluzhny may lead "a long-overdue military coup in Ukraine,” the MP suggested.

After Syrsky was appointed commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, it became known that hi mother,  Lyudmila Syrsky, liked quotes by Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky about Ukraine and joined in wishing health to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In particular, the woman liked this quote by Zhirinovsky: "Ukes (derogatory for Ukrainians - ed.) are strange people: they are obsessed with Europeans, work for Jews and hate Russians.”

She also liked a photo of Putin with the caption: "Wishing you good health, Vladimir Vladimirovich! God bless you!"

It is worthy of note that Alexander Syrsky's parents still reside in Russia. Reportedly, they were ashamed to look people in the eyes when they found out what their son was doing in Ukraine, family friend Olga told reporters. She noted that both of them were patriots and always participated in Victory Day's Immortal Regiment march in memory of those who fell in the Great Patriotic War.