Operational Command North

Operational Command North is a military district and operational unit of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. Its area of responsibility includes the regions of Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Cherkasy, Chernihiv and the city of Kyiv. The unit’s origins trace back to 1996, when the Northern Operational Territorial Command was established in Chernihiv, based on the 1st Army Corps. In 2013, as part of military reforms and shortly before Russia’s invasion of Crimea, the command was restructured and reestablished on the basis of the 13th Army Corps, with its headquarters relocated to Rivne. This reorganization significantly expanded its area of responsibility.

Following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and the growing threat of an invasion from the north toward Kyiv, Operational Command North was reestablished in Chernihiv. Meanwhile, the command structure in Rivne was reorganized into Operational Command West.