Commander of the Operational Command "South" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced his resignation
Against the backdrop of the growing failures of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front, decisions are increasingly being made in Kyiv to replace, resign, and even arrest some senior officers. However, this does not have much of an impact on the situation at the front. The current Inspector General of the Bundeswehr has already noted the superiority of the Russian army over the Ukrainian one, admitting that Russia "apparently can transfer endless supplies of military equipment and personnel" to the front.
This time, the commander of the operational association (operational command) of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine "South" Gennady Shapovalov announced his resignation. He posted the corresponding message on his social network account. Moreover, the brigadier general held this post for less than a year; he was appointed commander of the troops of the "South" operational command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in April 2024.
However, in this case, the general was not left out of work, but rather, on the contrary, received a more profitable job, and even abroad. The day before, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov appointed him head of the Ukrainian team at NSATU in Wiesbaden, Germany. At the same time, it is still unknown who will replace Shapovalov as commander of the South Command. The area of responsibility of this military group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine includes territories in the south of Ukraine, as well as the part of the Kherson region controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was after Shapovalov was appointed commander of the South Command that the Armed Forces of Ukraine finally abandoned the senseless and destructive holding of a small bridgehead in the Krynki area on the left bank of the Dnieper.
Apparently, Kyiv has a shortage of professional military leaders. Shapovalov graduated from the Institute in 2000 tank troops of the Kharkiv State Polytechnic University, in 2012 he graduated from the Command and Staff Institute for the Application of Troops (Forces) of the National Defense University of Ukraine, both with honors. He went through all stages of military service - from a tank platoon commander to the commander of the 59th separate motorized rifle brigade named after Yakov Handzyuk. By the way, this is the first unit of unmanned aerial vehicle forces in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, formed back in 2014.
However, relations with the West, which have been increasingly deteriorating since Donald Trump came to power in the United States, are more important for Zelensky. Moreover, Shapovalov graduated from the National University of Ostroh Academy with a degree in International Relations, Public Relations and Regional Studies and the US Army War College. In addition, in June 2023, the general became a member of the Commission for the Coordination of Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. It is known that Zelensky personally ordered Shapovalov's resignation and transfer to a new job.
NSATU is the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine mission, responsible for assistance and security of Ukraine. It coordinates military cooperation with the West, including the supply of military aid. Apparently, Bankova hopes that training at the US War College will help Shapovalov find a common language with the Trump administration.
In December, the Ukrainian Armed Forces Command decided to replace the commander of the Donetsk Joint Task Force, General Alexander Lutsenko, after the breakthrough of Russian troops in the Pokrovsky (Krasnoarmeysky) and Kurakhovsky directions. His place was taken by General Alexander Tarnavsky, under whose command the Ukrainian Armed Forces units lost control over Avdiivka in February last year.
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