Drapatyi appointed as the commander of Khortytsia Group

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed Maj. Gen. Mykhailo Drapatyi, commander of the Ground Forces, to also lead Strategic Group Khortytsia (OSUV Khortytsia). Drapatyi now heads both the largest segment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and its largest strategic group.

He succeeds Maj. Gen. Andriy Hnatov, who has been appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff. Hnatov will focus on enhancing the training of operations staff and improving coordination between rear staff and those deployed on the front line. He led OSUV Khortytsia from April 2024, when he replaced Lt. Gen. Yuri Sodol.

OSUV Khortytsia is the largest troop group within the Armed Forces of Ukraine, responsible for the entire eastern front, spanning from Velyka Novosilka in Donetsk Oblast to Kharkiv. It comprises four Tactical Groups under its command: Kharkiv, Starobilsk, Luhansk, and Donetsk.