Syrskyi Dismisses Two Corps Commanders

Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi has dismissed two corps commanders from their posts — Colonel Volodymyr Silenko of the 17th Army Corps and Maksym Kituhin of the 20th Army Corps — following the loss of positions in their respective areas of responsibility. Both officers will remain in service with the Armed Forces in other roles.

“The Commander-in-Chief’s personnel decisions are linked to shortcomings by the two commanders in leading their troops. Ineffective leadership in their areas of responsibility resulted, above all, in the loss of personnel and territory in the Zaporizhzhia and Novopavlivka sectors,” the General Staff told Suspilne.

The 17th Army Corps is deployed in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, where Ukrainian forces recently lost the village of Kamyanske and moved into the settlements of Stepnohirsk and Plavni. The 20th Army Corps is positioned along the Donetsk–Dnipropetrovsk border, northwest of Velyka Novosilka.

Who are the commanders

Before his appointment as commander of the 17th Army Corps in June 2025, Colonel Volodymyr Silenko led the 30th Mechanized Brigade for two years and had earlier served as chief of staff of the 93rd Mechanized Brigade and the 71st Jaeger Brigade.

Colonel Maksym Kituhin has been fighting in Donbas since 2014, taking part in the battles for Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, and Debaltseve. He began his career as a tank platoon commander, later led a battalion, and eventually rose to command the 17th Tank Brigade. In July 2025, he was appointed commander of the 20th Army Corps.

Sources: Suspilne, Ukrainska Pravda