Zaluzhny

Valerii Zaluzhnyi is a Ukrainian four-star general born in 1973 who led the Armed Forces of Ukraine as Commander-in-Chief from July 2021 to February 2024. During his tenure he also served concurrently on Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. Following his military command, he transitioned to diplomacy and currently serves as Ukraine’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

As the general who directed Ukrainian armed forces through the most intensive phase of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Zaluzhnyi oversaw the battlefield integration of drone warfare, loitering munitions, and AI-assisted targeting at scale — making Ukraine one of the fastest-moving laboratories for autonomous systems in active conflict.