Alexander Romanchuk Explained

Alexander Vladimirovich Romanchuk
Native Name:Александр Владимирович Романчук
Native Name Lang:Russian
Birth Date:15 April 1959
Birth Place:Luhansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance: Russia
Branch: Russian Armed Forces
Serviceyears:1980–present
Rank: Colonel general
Commands:Head of the Combined Arms Academy
29th Combined Arms Army Commander (2014)
Chief military adviser to the Syrian Arab Army
Southern Military District Deputy Commander
Battles:Syrian civil war
Russo-Ukrainian War

Alexander Vladimirovich Romanchuk (Russian: Александр Владимирович Романчук; born 15 April 1959) is a colonel general in the Russian Armed Forces serving as the Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Biography

Romanchuk was born in Luhansk, then part of the Soviet Union, on 15 April 1959.

He served in various positions in the Russian armed forces, including as Head of the Combined Arms Academy, Commander of the 29th Combined Arms Army, Chief military adviser to the Syrian Arab Army and in his final posting as the Deputy Commander of the Southern Military District. He was involved in the Annexation of Crimea and the War in Donbas.[1] He was promoted to colonel general in 2023.

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Romanchuk took much of the credit for Russian defenses during the early stages of the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive. He announced that the Ukrainian counteroffensive started at 2am on June 6th, and on the same day Ukrainian forces lost 350 personnel and 30 tanks and 10 infantry fighting vehicles, including Western-supplied Leopard 2s.[2] [3] Romanchuk claimed the early success in the defense efforts was due mainly to Russian air superiority, military intelligence, and extensive minefields.[4] [5] Despite receiving praise, and positioning himself as overall commander, most of the credit for the defense goes to his superior commander in the Southern District, Sergey Kuzovlev, and his superior, Valery Gerasimov.[6]

On September 22, 2023 Romanchuk was seriously injured during a Ukrainian missile attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, according to Ukrainian military sources. He was most recently commander of the Russian forces in the Zaporizhzhia region.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Romanchuk Alexander . sanctions.nazk.gov . 15 July 2023.
  2. Web site: Lebedeva . Marina . Ukrainian forces lose three Leopard tanks during night offensive . . 15 July 2023.
  3. Web site: Kiev loses three Leopard tanks in attempted attack in Zaporozhye area — Russian top brass . . 15 July 2023.
  4. Web site: Marzhetsky . Sergey . What drones are needed for the success of the Russian counteroffensive . easternherald.com . 15 July 2023.
  5. Web site: Osborn . Andrew . Top general tells Putin how Russia repelled major Ukrainian attack, defence ministry says . . 15 July 2023.
  6. Web site: Bailey . Riley . Stepanenko . Kateryna . Mappes . Grace . Wolkov . Nicole . Ganzeveld . Annika . Clark . Mason . Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 9, 2023 . . 15 July 2023.
  7. Web site: Russian admiral 'seriously injured' after missile hits navy HQ killing nine . Metro . msn . 23 September 2023 . 27 December 2023.