Ukraine Appoints Air Assault Officer Zaits to Lead 20th Army Corps

Colonel Svyatoslav Zaits has been appointed commander of Ukraine’s 20th Army Corps, replacing Major General Viktor Nikolyuk, who has been promoted to a senior post, according to hromadske, citing sources in the Defense Forces. Zaits has already assumed duties within the corps’ area of responsibility.

Nikolyuk has been named head of Operational Command East, replacing Major General Oleksandr Bratishko. The reshuffle comes as Ukraine’s high command seeks to reinforce defenses in the Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk sectors, where Russian forces continue to press forward. Bratishko’s dismissal may also be linked to the reported loss of Siversk, which has triggered a broader shake-up, including the removal of commanders from the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade, 54th Mechanized Brigade, and, more recently, the 11th Army Corps.

About Zaits

Zaits is an officer of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces. In 2014, he was stationed in Crimea during Russia’s occupation of the peninsula and led a reconnaissance company of the 25th Airborne Brigade back to mainland Ukraine. He later took part in the defense of Luhansk Airport.

By 2019, Zaits commanded a separate Air Assault battalion and participated in the Cossack Will-2019 exercise. He later went on to lead the 79th Air Assault Brigade. Prior to his current appointment, he served as deputy commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps.

His appointment highlights a broader кадровая trend within Ukraine’s military, where Air Assault Forces officers are increasingly being assigned to command positions in Ground Forces units. Zaits is not alone: the 16th Army Corps is led by Yevheniy Kurash, and the 156th Mechanized Brigade by Yuriy Hupalyuk—both also Air Assault officers.