Zelensky Names Sviatoslav Zaits Ground Forces Chief
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Maj. Gen. Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces and appointed Brig. Gen. Sviatoslav Zaits to replace him. Zaits previously commanded the 20th Army Corps and served in the Air Assault Forces. The two presidential decrees did not state a reason for the leadership change.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has replaced Maj. Gen. Hennadiy Shapovalov with Brig. Gen. Sviatoslav Zaits as the commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The decision, made on September 2, was announced in decree No. 852/2026 and decree No. 853/2026, which were published on the president’s official website.
Zaits, a veteran of Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces, previously commanded the 20th Army Corps, responsible for defending part of the front in the Dnipropetrovsk region. He was appointed to lead the corps in April 2026 after serving as chief of staff and deputy commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps.
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