Zelensky appoints military surgeon Kostiantyn Humeniuk to lead Ukraine's Medical Forces
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on 14 September 2026 appointing Kostiantyn Humeniuk, a military surgeon and colonel of the medical service, as commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The decision was made jointly with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. By a separate decree, Zelensky dismissed Humeniuk's predecessor, Anatolii Kazmirchuk, who had held the post since November 2023.
Key points
- President Zelensky signed the appointment decree on 14 September 2026; decree number 910/2026.
- Kostiantyn Humeniuk is a military surgeon and colonel of the medical service.
- The decision was made jointly by Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi.
- Humeniuk served as chief surgeon of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from 2019.
- Humeniuk holds the title Honored Doctor of Ukraine and is a laureate of the Borys Paton National Prize.
- Anatolii Kazmirchuk was dismissed by a separate decree after holding the post since 19 November 2023.
- Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa said the priority in the new role is preserving the life and health of the Ukrainian soldier.
Why it matters
The Medical Forces is the branch of the Armed Forces responsible for battlefield evacuation and treatment of wounded soldiers, making its leadership directly relevant to combat survival rates. The change follows months of public scrutiny of the medical service leadership and is the first major personnel move made jointly by Zelensky and the new Commander-in-Chief, Mykhailo Drapatyi. Humeniuk's profile as a practicing combat surgeon and known reformer points to a possible shift in priorities for the medical branch.
What happened
On 14 September 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 910/2026 appointing Kostiantyn Humeniuk as commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The decision was made jointly with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. Humeniuk, a colonel of the medical service and military surgeon, had served as chief surgeon of the Armed Forces since 2019. Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa said Humeniuk has earned authority among service members and the trust of the volunteer community, and that preserving the life and health of the Ukrainian soldier would be the main priority in his new role. By a separate decree (No. 909), Zelensky dismissed Anatolii Kazmirchuk, who had held the post since 19 November 2023 and holds the rank of major general of the medical service.
Where reporting differs
Sources give slightly different accounts of timing around the appointment and the dismissal process. Most specify the appointment decree was published on 14 September; one source states 14 September 2026. Reports also differ on whether Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi submitted the proposal to dismiss Kazmirchuk in August generally or specifically on 4 August. One source characterizes Humeniuk's May 2022 kidney-removal operation as the first such intervention performed in combat conditions worldwide, while other sources describe it only as the first such intervention performed in Ukraine.
Background
Kostiantyn Humeniuk was born on 29 September 1973 in Vinnytsia and graduated from the Vinnytsia Basic Medical College (1992), Vinnytsia State Medical University named after M. I. Pyrohov (1998), and the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy (2001). From 2001 he served in military medical institutions in Vinnytsia, rising from ordinator in emergency surgery to head of the clinic of endoscopic surgery. Between 2014 and 2019 he served in the ATO and Joint Forces Operation zones in various surgical and command roles, including as senior of a forward medical-nursing brigade in the 95th Air Assault Brigade in 2014 and chief surgeon of the Joint Forces Operation in 2018–2019. In May 2022, near Bakhmut, he performed a laparoscopic kidney-removal operation on a patient with a gunshot wound, and in 2022 he introduced the REBOA system into combat use in the Armed Forces. He holds a Candidate of Medical Sciences degree (2009) and a Doctor of Medical Sciences degree (2025), and is a professor at the Department of Military Surgery of the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy. Anatolii Kazmirchuk, the outgoing commander, is a major general of the medical service, Doctor of Medical Sciences and professor. According to Ukrainska Pravda citing sources, Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi submitted the proposal to dismiss Kazmirchuk in August. People's deputy Mariana Bezuhla has publicly described Kazmirchuk as 'a person of the former commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi.' In July 2023, Anton Shevchuk, head of the medical service of the 82nd Separate Air Assault Brigade, publicly reported substandard Chinese tourniquets delivered to his brigade; Kazmirchuk was subsequently mentioned in the context of a decision to transfer Shevchuk to a lower position.