Zelensky appoints Svyatoslav Zaits as commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces
President Volodymyr Zelensky on September 2 dismissed Hennadii Shapovalov as commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and appointed Svyatoslav Zaits in his place. The change was formalized by consecutive presidential decrees and follows Zaits' April 2026 appointment to command the 20th Army Corps.
Key points
- Decree No. 853/2026 dated September 2, 2026 appointed Svyatoslav Zaits as commander of the Ground Forces.
- Consecutive decree No. 852/2026 dismissed Hennadii Shapovalov, who had led the Ground Forces since June 2025.
- Zaits previously commanded the 20th Army Corps, taking over in April 2026, before that serving as chief of staff – deputy commander of the 8th Corps of the Air Assault Forces.
- On May 8, 2026, Zelensky awarded Zaits the rank of brigadier general.
- Zaits comes from the Air Assault Forces and is described as a combat-experienced officer who in 2014 led the withdrawal of roughly a hundred soldiers blockaded by Russian forces in occupied Crimea.
- The same day as the appointment, Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi published leadership principles emphasizing people as the Armed Forces' most valuable combat asset.
Why it matters
The Ground Forces are the largest branch of Ukraine's Armed Forces, so a change in their top command directly affects the leadership of the main ground combat component during the war. The simultaneous issuance of dismissal and appointment decrees indicates a pre-planned transition rather than an emergency replacement, and Zaits' background in the Air Assault Forces and frontline command in 2026 shapes what kind of leadership the branch will receive.
What happened
On September 2, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed consecutive decrees dismissing Hennadii Shapovalov from command of the Ground Forces and appointing Svyatoslav Zaits as his successor. Shapovalov had held the post since June 2025. Zaits took over the 20th Army Corps in April 2026 after serving as chief of staff – deputy commander of the 8th Corps of the Air Assault Forces. On May 8, 2026, Zelensky had awarded him the rank of brigadier general. His earlier career includes commanding a reconnaissance company of the 25th Air Assault Brigade in 2014, when he organized the withdrawal of about a hundred soldiers blockaded by Russian forces in Crimea after they refused the occupiers' conditions. The appointment coincided with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi's publication of leadership principles centered on personnel as the Armed Forces' key asset, and with recent statements by Defense Minister Khmara on commanders' responsibility for soldiers' lives.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language outlets uniformly frame the change as a routine presidential personnel decision via decree, with President Zelensky as the named actor. Coverage emphasizes Zaits' biography — his Air Assault Forces roots, his 2014 withdrawal from occupied Crimea, his command of the 20th Army Corps since April 2026, and his promotion to brigadier general — to present him as a combat-experienced officer. Several outlets situate the appointment within broader reshuffles associated with Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi and recent statements by the Defense Minister on commanders' accountability for soldiers' lives.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on Zaits' exact rank before his appointment as Ground Forces commander: one source states he held the rank of colonel, while another confirmed fact records Zelensky awarding him the rank of brigadier general on May 8, 2026. Sources also disagree on which unit Zaits served with in 2014 — most identify it as a reconnaissance company of the 25th Air Assault Brigade, while one source names it a reconnaissance-assault company of the 25th Brigade of the 36th Coastal Guard Brigade.
Background
Zaits rose through the Air Assault Forces, serving as chief of staff – deputy commander of the 8th Corps before taking command of the 20th Army Corps in April 2026. Before Zaits, Viktor Nikolyuk commanded the 20th Army Corps and later moved to lead the operational command "East." hromadske had previously reported on the possibility of Zaits being offered the Ground Forces post in coverage of Drapatyi's personnel reshuffles. On the day of the appointment, Drapatyi published leadership principles emphasizing people as the Armed Forces' most valuable combat asset, and days earlier Defense Minister Khmara called for greater commander accountability for preserving soldiers' lives.