COMCORPS: Dmytro Delyatskyi

Our new article series focuses on the commanders of the recently formed army corps formations. Each article will introduce the commander of a selected corps. We start from the end — with the 30th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy and its commander, Major General Dmytro Delyatskyi.

About the Commander

Dmytro Delyatskyi was born in Khabarovsk into a military family. The family moved frequently, following his father’s deployments. In 1997, he graduated from the General Staff Faculty of the Odesa Institute of Ground Forces, after which he became a platoon commander in the 127th Mechanized Battalion. He later rose to the position of company commander, then deputy commander of the 1st Marine Battalion, and subsequently served as commander of the 81st Logistics Battalion. In 2012, he was appointed commander of the 1st Marine Battalion.

In early 2014, during the Russian annexation of Crimea, Delyatskyi and the marines under his command refused to surrender or hand over their weapons. The Russians offered him money and a higher position in the Russian Army on multiple occasions, but he consistently refused and remained loyal to Ukraine.

“We were given a deadline — approximately by noon that day — to hand over our weapons and ammunition. We did not agree, because we had an order: to defend ourselves, our military unit, our personnel, and the premises where the weapons and ammunition were located. That is, we acted according to the charter of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We were preparing and taking up defense,”
— Major General Dmytro Delyatskyi, March 2, 2014.

After the Russian annexation of Crimea

He returned from captivity later that same month. In 2015, he became the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade. In 2018, he was appointed deputy commander of the Marine Infantry (or just Marines). In 2023, he briefly headed the Military Academy in Odesa before being appointed commander of the newly formed 30th Marine Corps.

When Delyatskyi took command, the marines were in difficult condition — decimated after the Krynky operation. Under his leadership, several battalions regained combat capability. He also formally incorporated two Territorial Defense units and one mechanized brigade into the Marine Corps, which were later reorganized into coastal defense brigades.

According to Focus.ua’s 2024 ranking of the most influential Ukrainian officers, Dmytro Delyatskyi was listed as the seventh most influential officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“I am sure that the main strength of not only the Marines, but of any unit, is its people — our people — because we are fighting for our own freedom, for every meter of our land.”
— Major General Dmytro Delyatskyi