The former commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who led the defense of Mykolaiv has been appointed as the deputy chief of the General Staff.

The former commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who led the defense of Mykolaiv, has been appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff.

Major General Andriy Hnatov, who was dismissed from the position of commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine yesterday, February 26, has been appointed as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was announced by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"Today, by my order and in agreement with the President of Ukraine, I have appointed Major General Andriy Hnatov as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In his new role, Major General Andriy Hnatov will be responsible for force generation and cooperation with partners," said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

Andriy Hnatov has over 27 years of military experience, having served in key positions ranging from commander of a marine brigade to commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and troops of the Operational Command "East."

In 2022, Andriy Hnatov was the Deputy Commander of the troops of the Operational Command "South." He led the defense of Mykolaiv and in November 2022 became one of the commanders during the liberation of the Kherson region.

In 2023, Hnatov commanded the defense of the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. On June 24, 2024, he took the position of commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He has received several state awards, including the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the Cross of Military Merit.