Zelensky appoints military surgeon Kostiantyn Humeniuk to lead Ukraine's Medical Forces
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on 14 September 2026 appointing Colonel Kostiantyn Humeniuk, a military surgeon and chief surgeon of the Armed Forces since 2019, as commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The appointment, made jointly with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, replaces Anatolii Kazmirchuk, who was dismissed by separate decree.
Key points
- Decree signed by President Zelensky on 14 September 2026; reported decree number 910/2026
- Kostiantyn Humeniuk appointed commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
- Decision made jointly with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi
- Anatolii Kazmirchuk dismissed from the post by separate decree; he had held it since 19 November 2023
- Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa cited Humeniuk's authority among the military and the trust of the volunteer community
- Palisa said the main priority in the new position is preserving the life and health of the Ukrainian soldier
- Humeniuk is a colonel of the medical service and had served as chief surgeon of the Armed Forces since 2019
Why it matters
The appointment places a frontline combat surgeon with experience dating back to the 2014 Anti-Terrorist Operation, including service near Bakhmut in 2022, in charge of Ukraine's military medical service during an active war. It reflects a leadership change jointly endorsed by President Zelensky and Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi, underscoring the importance the military leadership attaches to battlefield medical support.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on 14 September 2026 appointing Kostiantyn Humeniuk as commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Humeniuk is a colonel of the medical service and a military surgeon who had held the position of chief surgeon of the Armed Forces since 2019. The decision was made by the president jointly with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi. By a separate decree, Zelensky dismissed Anatolii Kazmirchuk, a major general of the medical service who had led the Medical Forces since 19 November 2023. Deputy Head of the Office of the President Pavlo Palisa said Humeniuk has earned authority among military personnel and the trust of the volunteer community, and identified preserving the life and health of the Ukrainian soldier as the main priority in the new role.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language media frame the appointment as a merit-based move, citing Palisa's emphasis on Humeniuk's standing among the military and the volunteer community and on the priority of preserving the life and health of the Ukrainian soldier. Several outlets highlight Humeniuk's combat-medical credentials and his prior role as chief surgeon of the Armed Forces, and place the change against the backdrop of Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi's reported 4 August proposal to dismiss Kazmirchuk.
Background
Humeniuk previously served as chief surgeon of the Armed Forces from 2019 and has combat surgical experience dating back to the 2014 Anti-Terrorist Operation, including service as senior of a frontline medical-nursing brigade in the 95th Air Assault Brigade, chief surgeon of the ATO from 2017, chief surgeon of the Joint Forces Operation in 2018–2019, and work in a frontline military mobile hospital near Bakhmut in 2022. Anatolii Kazmirchuk had held the post of Medical Forces commander since 19 November 2023; People's deputy Mariana Bezuhla said he was considered "a person of former commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi," and a proposal to dismiss him was reportedly submitted by Commander-in-Chief Drapatyi on 4 August.