Denys Prokopenko takes command of Azov grouping to reinforce defense of Donbas
Brig. Gen. Denys “Redis” Prokopenko has begun serving as commander of the Azov troop grouping, the corps’ press service said in a Facebook post on Sept. 13.
Brigadier General Denys "Redis" Prokopenko has assumed command of the Azov troop grouping as of September 13, 2026, according to a Facebook post from the corps' press service. The statement announced the appointment, marking Prokopenko's beginning of his new role. Earlier on August 26, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the reinforcement of Ukraine's defense forces in Donetsk Oblast through two updated groupings, led by Heroes of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko and Andrii Biletskyi.
Biletskyi was subsequently appointed to lead the Center troop grouping, while Prokopenko would retain his position as commander of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. Prokopenko's military career began on July 11, 2014, when he joined the Azov battalion. Throughout the summer and fall of that year, he participated in various combat operations, including battles for Maryinka and Ilovaisk, as well as the defense of Mariupol.
In 2017, at the young age of 26, Prokopenko became the youngest regimental commander in the history of the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, taking charge of the Azov Regiment. He received the title of Hero of Ukraine on March 19, 2022, during the defense of Mariupol, along with the Order of the Gold Star for his personal courage and heroism in safeguarding Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as his loyalty to his military oath.
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