Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky to head new "Center" troop grouping for Donetsk Oblast defense
Commander of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, will lead a new temporary command body called the "Center" troop grouping, responsible for the defense of most of Donetsk Oblast, while continuing to command the 3rd Army Corps. The appointment was announced by his deputy, Rodion Kudryashov, in a comment to LIGA.net.
Key points
- Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, will head the new temporary "Center" troop grouping
- The "Center" grouping will be responsible for the defense of most of Donetsk Oblast
- Biletsky will continue to command the 3rd Army Corps in parallel with forming the new grouping
- Deputy commander Rodion Kudryashov announced the appointment in a comment to LIGA.net
- The core of the "Center" grouping's command will be officers from the 3rd Army Corps
- Kudryashov described it as the first precedent of admitting a new generation of commanders formed by the current war
- On 26 August President Zelensky announced two updated groupings for Donetsk Oblast, commanded by Biletsky and Denys Prokopenko
- Biletsky was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine by President Zelensky on 24 August 2026
Why it matters
It creates a new temporary operational-level command structure over a critical stretch of the front in Donetsk Oblast and is described as the first precedent of elevating a new generation of commanders formed by the current war into top operational roles. The move is part of a broader push by Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi to delegate more authority to operational-level commanders. Biletsky was previously named as a candidate for Commander-in-Chief before Syrsky's dismissal, signalling his rising profile, and the pairing of his "Center" grouping with a parallel grouping under Denys Prokopenko (Azov) reshapes how Donbas defense is led.
What happened
Commander of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, will head a new temporary command body called the "Center" troop grouping, responsible for the defense of most of Donetsk Oblast. He will continue to command the 3rd Army Corps in parallel with forming the new grouping. The appointment was announced by his deputy, Rodion Kudryashov, in a comment to LIGA.net. The core of the "Center" grouping's command will be officers from the 3rd Army Corps. On 26 August President Zelensky announced that Ukrainian defensive positions in Donetsk Oblast would be reinforced by two updated groupings commanded by Biletsky and Denys Prokopenko, and on 24 August 2026 Zelensky awarded Biletsky the title Hero of Ukraine. Kudryashov described the formation of "Center" as the first precedent of admitting a new generation of commanders formed by the current war into top operational roles.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian sources emphasize Biletsky's trajectory — his Hero of Ukraine award, prior mention as a candidate for Commander-in-Chief, and his public trust ratings — framing the new role as recognition of a rising wartime commander. Coverage centres the domestic institutional context: the restructuring under Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi, the role of the 3rd Army Corps as the core of "Center," and the parallel Azov grouping under Prokopenko. Sources also foreground the broader Donbas battlefield situation — Russian plans for the region, the "fortress belt," and what Ukrainian-controlled territory is at stake — as the backdrop to the appointment.
Background
Biletsky was awarded the title Hero of Ukraine by President Zelensky on 24 August 2026. According to KMIS polling, 37% of Ukrainians trusted Biletsky at the start of August and 13% did not, and he does not rule out running in elections after the war ends. Sources named him as a candidate for Commander-in-Chief before Syrsky's dismissal. Troop groupings of operational or operational-tactical level are formed to manage forces more effectively on main axes of the front, and the new grouping is part of Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi's push to delegate more authority to operational-level commanders. The defense of Donbas is also tied to concerns raised by analysts and officers about the risk of losing the "fortress belt" in Donetsk Oblast and about Russian plans to push the deadline for seizing Donbas.