He loved weapons as a child and was preparing for war. What Valerii Zaluzhnyi looked like before he became the "Iron General"

The former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, celebrates his birthday on July 8. The "Iron General" is 51 years old. He served as the most authoritative military leader in Ukraine for over 2.5 years and during this time won public love and respect. Now the general has become Ukraine's ambassador to the UK.

Ever since he was a child, Valerii Zaluzhnyi could not part with the military. In one of the old photos, he poses with a toy assault rifle in his hands, and in his younger years, he was wearing camouflage in the walls of the Odesa Institute of Land Forces (Military Academy). OBOZ.UA decided to recall what the "iron general" looked like before he was promoted to the rank of commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces.

During Russia's war against Ukraine in 2014, he was the deputy commander of Sector C, which was formed in Donbas, and fought against the occupiers there. In 2017, he was promoted to the rank of major general, and in July 2021, he became the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The "Iron General" has always known that a Russian attack would be inevitable, and he called for preparations for a new armed aggression.

"I have always said this since I took office. Because this threat of full-scale aggression is there, it was there. And, unfortunately, I have to say that it is likely to continue. Accordingly, our task as the Armed Forces is not to wait for "blessing from heaven," we have to prepare for it," he said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Valerii Zaluzhnyi has been one of those who made Ukrainians believe in victory. Thanks to the support of not only our society but also the whole world, he was named one of the top 100 most influential people of 2022 by TIME magazine.

After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the chief of the army, Ukrainians could not believe that someone other than him would be able to lead the war effort. Valerii Zaluzhnyi's statements were quoted because he could speak honestly and frankly about the course of the war and answer journalists' pointed questions.

"We will fight as long as we have the strength. Our goal is to liberate all Ukrainian land from Russian occupation. The Ukrainian Armed Forces will not accept any negotiations until Russia leaves the occupied territories," is one of the most apt phrases said by the former general.

Valerii Zaluzhnyi is a Hero of Ukraine. In May 2024, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It has only recently become known that he will start working in this position on July 10.

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