Pavlo Yelizarov

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Oleksandrovych and the family name is Yelizarov.
Pavlo Oleksandrovych Yelizarov
Native name
Павло Олександрович Єлізаров
NicknameLasar (call sign)
Born (1968-10-12) 12 October 1968
Chișinău, Moldavian SSR, Soviet Union (now Moldova)
Allegiance Ukraine
Branch
Service years2022–present
RankСolonel
Unit
Conflicts
Alma materUkrainian State University of Finance and International Trade

Pavlo Oleksandrovych Yelizarov (Ukrainian: Павло Олександрович Єлізаров; born October 12, 1968) is a Ukrainian military officer, Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, businessman, and television producer.

He is best known as the founder and commander of “Lasar’s Group,” a drone unit credited with destroying large amounts of Russian military equipment.[1]

Biography

Yelizarov was born in 1968 in Chișinău, in the Moldavian SSR of the Soviet Union (now Moldova). He studied in Chișinău and served in the Soviet army before moving to Ukraine in the 1990s. In the 1990s and 2000s, he built an agribusiness company. From 2007 to 2008, he served as a deputy minister of transport.[1][2]

Yelizarov then worked in Ukrainian television production. He was the producer and co-owner of the popular political talk show The Freedom of Speech hosted by Savik Shuster.[1][3]

Immediately after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Yelizarov joined Ukraine's territorial defense and later transferred to the Special Operations Forces, where he began to assemble and deploy drones. He subsequently formed “Lasar’s Group” under the National Guard and became its commander. According to Ukrainian officials, Yelizarov's group has exhibited unusual success in destroying over $13 billion worth of Russian military equipment.[4]

On 19 January 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Yelizarov’s appointment as deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force as part of a broader overhaul of air defense emphasizing mobile fire groups and interceptor drones. Ukrainian officials said he would oversee development of “small” (short-range) air-defense systems and drone interception.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c Syrovoi, Marko; Davydenko, Borys (14 October 2025). "How A Former Ukrainian TV Producer Built A Drone Unit That Destroyed $12 Billion Of Russian Equipment". Forbes. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Загадковий "Лазар" у Повітряних силах: хто такий Павло Єлізаров і що про нього відомо". TSN Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 20 January 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  3. ^ "Від продюсера ток-шоу до "вбивці шахедів": хто такий Павло Єлізаров". BBC News Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 26 January 2026. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  4. ^ Fenbert, Abbey (19 January 2026). "Zelensky names Pavlo Yelizarov new Air Force deputy commander, calls for overhaul of Ukraine's air defenses". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  5. ^ Popeski, Ron; Kozhukhar, Oleksandr (19 January 2026). "Ukraine's Zelenskiy announces new air defence system". Reuters. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
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