Zelensky dismissed the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who was previously responsible for the defense of Mykolaiv.

Zelensky has dismissed the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: he was previously responsible for the defense of Mykolaiv.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has relieved Major General Andriy Hnatov from his position as the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

This was stated in presidential decree No. 148/2025 dated February 26.

"Dismiss Hnatov Andriy Viktorovych from the position of commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the document notes.

Background:

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Armed Forces into Ukraine in 2022, Andriy Hnatov served as the deputy commander of the Southern Operational Command. He led the defense of Mykolaiv and in November 2022 became one of the commanders involved in the liberation of the Kherson region.

In 2023, Hnatov oversaw the defense of Bakhmut, and on June 24, 2024, he was appointed commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine by presidential decree. For his contributions, he has received several state awards, including the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky and the Cross of Military Merit.