Valerii Zaluzhnyi

Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Valerii Zaluzhnyi
Валерій Залужний
	Official portrait, 2021
Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 10 July 2024
President	Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime Minister	Denys Shmyhal; Yulia Svyrydenko
Preceded by	Vadym Prystaiko
Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Maritime Organization
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; 3 March 2025
President	Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime Minister	Denys Shmyhal; Yulia Svyrydenko
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
	In office; 27 July 2021 – 8 February 2024
President	Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Prime Minister	Denys Shmyhal
Preceded by	Ruslan Khomchak
Succeeded by	Oleksandr Syrskyi
Personal details
Born	8 July 1973; Novohrad-Volynskyi, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Zviahel, Ukraine)
Alma mater	Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine; Odesa Military Academy; National University Ostroh Academy;
Nickname	"Iron General"
Military service
Allegiance	Ukraine
Years of service	1993–2024
Rank	General
Commands	Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Operational Command North; Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine; Operational Command West; 51st Guards Mechanized Brigade; 24th Guards Mechanized Brigade;
Battles/wars	Russo-Ukrainian War War in Donbas; Russian invasion of Ukraine; ;
Awards	Hero of Ukraine; Cross of Military Merit; Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd class; Officer's Cross of the Order of the Cross of Vytis; The insignia "Personalized firearm";

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Valerii Fedorovych Zaluzhnyi (Ukrainian: Валерій Федорович Залужний; born 8 July 1973) is a Ukrainian four-star general and diplomat who is currently serving as Ambassador of Ukraine to the United Kingdom. He served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 27 July 2021 until 8 February 2024. He was also concurrently a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

Zaluzhnyi was previously the Commander of the North Operational Command (2019–2021), Chief of the Joint Operational Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — First Deputy Commander of the Joint Forces (2018), Chief of Staff – First Deputy Commander of the West Operational Command (2017), and Commander of the 51st Guards Mechanized Brigade (2009–2012).

Zaluzhnyi was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022. He has received praise for his skill at "adapting to a fast-changing battlefield" through effective delegation and information gathering during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He was dismissed from his position as Commander-in-Chief on 8 February 2024 amid increasing tension between him and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Zaluzhnyi was appointed the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom in March 2024, and was additionally named Ukraine's permanent representative to the International Maritime Organization in March 2025. Zaluzhnyi has been cited as a potential candidate for the next Ukrainian presidential election and ranked in polls among leading candidates.