Mykhailo Kutsyn
Mykhailo Mykolayovych Kutsyn (Ukrainian: Михайло Миколайович Куцин; born 15 August 1957) is a former Chief of the General Staff and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was appointed Chief of the General Staff by acting president Oleksandr Turchynov on 28 February 2014. Kutsyn was relieved of this post by president Petro Poroshenko on 3 July 2014. Poroshenko thanked Kutsyn for his service and stated he had been shell-shocked on 2 July 2014 while combating the 2014 insurgency in Donbass. He had suffered a concussion and was recovering at a hospital.
Mykhailo Kutsyn | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Михайло Миколайович Куцин |
| Born | 15 August 1957 Svoboda, Berehove Raion, Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union (1978–1991) Ukraine (1992–2014) |
| Service/ | Soviet Army Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Rank | Lieutenant general |
| Commands held | Western Operational Command (2004–2010) Armed Forces of Ukraine (2014) |
A graduate of Tank school, Kutsyn served with the Soviet Army in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan Czechoslovakia and Germany. He enlisted in the Ukrainian Ground Forces after the nation gained independence in 1991, and was head of the Western Operational Command for six years, before being appointed Deputy Minister of Defence in March 2010.