Change of Command in the Donetsk Tactical Group

Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, who commanded the Donetsk operational-tactical group — which includes some of the most challenging sectors of the front in Donetsk Oblast, particularly the Pokrovsk area — has left his post. The new commander of the Donetsk group is Major General Viktor Nikolyuk, who previously served as the group’s chief of staff.

According to Ukrainska Pravda’s sources, Tarnavskyi resigned at his own request due to health issues.

The New Commander

Viktor Nikolyuk was born in 1975 in Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukraine. He graduated from the Kharkiv Tank School and later from the National Defense University. He went on to serve as the chief of staff of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade and later as the commander of the 92nd Mechanized Brigade (now known as the 92nd Assault Brigade). In 2021, he was appointed commander of Operational Command North and played an active role in the defense of Chernihiv Oblast in 2022. In 2023, he became the commander of the Ground Forces Training Command, and in 2024, he was appointed commander of the 10th Army Corps.

Controversies

On September 2, 2015, unknown assailants attacked a joint mobile group tasked with combating smuggling in the ATO zone, killing two Ukrainian servicemen and wounding six others. According to journalist Oleksiy Bobrovnyk, two demobilized scouts from the 92nd Mechanized Brigade were behind the attack, allegedly acting under the leadership of Nikolyuk. He denied all accusations and later filed a lawsuit to clear his name.