Photo: Chief of the General Staff Andrey Gnatov (t.me/ministry_of_defense_ua) Author: Karina Levitskaya
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed a new Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is Major General Andriy Gnatov.
More information about what is known about the new Chief of the General Staff can be found in the RBC-Ukraine article.
The President of Ukraine has replaced the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Lieutenant General Anatoliy Bargilevich was dismissed from this position and appointed Inspector General of the Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov noted that Gnatov, who has more than 27 years of military experience, previously commanded a marine brigade, the troops of the operational command “East” and the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The General Staff reported that the new Chief of the General Staff was tasked with increasing the effectiveness of the Armed Forces' vertical command structure, in particular in the process of reorganization and implementation of the corps structure. In addition, he will have to integrate combat experience into troop planning and command.
What is known about Gnatov
It is known that Andrey Gnatov was born in Ukraine and received a military education at the Kharkov Institute of Tank Troops. He began his service in a marine battalion based in Crimea.
After the occupation of the peninsula by Russia, he did not betray his oath and moved to mainland Ukraine, continuing his military career.
In 2016, he became the chief of staff of the 36th separate marine brigade, and two years later he headed it. Gnatov commanded the brigade until 2021. During the ATO and JFO, he actively participated in the fight against Russian aggression.
With the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, Gnatov led the Primorye group of forces and played a key role in repelling Russian attacks on southern Ukraine. Thanks to his strategy, Ukrainian forces were able to regain control over several settlements in the Kherson region and stop the enemy's advance.
In June 2022, he was promoted to brigadier general for his achievements in defensive operations.
For his service, Gnatov was awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Cross of Military Merit and other state awards.
It should be noted that back at the end of January this year, Zelensky announced that the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Gnatov, would transfer to the General Staff.
And just over 2 weeks ago, the head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Rustem Umerov, appointed Major General Andriy Gnatov as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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