Zelenskyy appoints Hennadiy Shapovalov as new ground forces chief

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has named Hennadiy Shapovalov as the new commander of Ukraine’s land forces, following the resignation of Mykhailo Drapatyi after a deadly Russian attack on a military training site in the southeast.

Shapovalov’s appointment was confirmed Thursday through a presidential decree. He previously served as a liaison officer at a NATO coordination center in Germany and held the position of commander within Ukraine’s Operational Command South.

In his nightly address, Zelenskiy emphasized the importance of Shapovalov’s NATO experience, saying it would be vital in implementing reforms within Ukraine’s armed forces. “All this useful experience of this coordination and all the real combat experience of our soldiers must be applied now within Ukraine’s land forces,” he stated. “Changes are needed and this is an imperative.”

Former commander Drapatyi, who stepped down earlier this month in the wake of the Russian strike, has been reassigned to lead Ukraine’s joint forces command as part of a broader restructuring within the military.

With inputs from Reuters