President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Mikhail Drapaty as the new Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This announcement was made following a meeting of the Headquarters on November 29.
New military leadership of Ukraine: what personnel changes were made by ZelenskyChanges in Ukraine's military leadership following the dismissal of Commander-in-Chief Valery Zaluzhny – in the infographic. “Together with the Commander-in-Chief, several personnel decisions were made for our army. Mikhail Drapaty has been appointed as the new Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Oleg Apostol has been appointed as the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” Zelensky wrote.
The President reminded that Major General Mikhail Drapaty successfully organized the defense in the Kharkiv direction and thwarted the offensive operation of Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Colonel Oleg Apostol is an experienced commander of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade. Both have proven their effectiveness in combat.
“The main task is to significantly enhance the combat readiness of our army, ensure the quality of military training, and implement innovative approaches to personnel management in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian army requires internal changes to fully achieve the objectives of our state,” Zelensky added.
Decree No. 789 regarding Drapaty's appointment has already been published on the OPU website.
“To appoint Mikhail Vasilyevich Drapaty as the Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the document states.
In another decree No. 788, Zelensky dismissed the previous commander of the Ground Forces, Alexander Pavlyuk.
It is worth noting that in May of this year, amidst the offensive of Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, a new commander of the operational-tactical group “Kharkiv” was appointed – Mikhail Drapaty took over from Yuri Halushkin.
In June, Zelensky dismissed Sodoly and appointed a new commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in his place.