Ukraine's Ground Forces chief officially assumes command of the toughest frontline sector
Photo: Commander of Ukrainian Ground Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi (Getty Images)
Commander of Ukrainian Ground Forces Mykhailo Drapatyi officially takes charge of the operational-strategic group of troops Khortytsia, reports Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
"I thanked Major General Andrii Hnatov for his work in the Khortytsia operational-strategic grouping. He will continue his service as deputy chief of the General Staff of the AFU," Syrskyi added.
According to the Commander-in-Chief, Russia is currently concentrating the most forces in the directions related to the operational zone of Khortytsia. The task of the Defense Forces is to hold the line, inflict maximum losses on the enemy, and take care of Ukrainian defenders.
"I have set priority tasks to contain the onslaught of the numerically superior enemy. Working together," Syrskyi added.
Mykhailo Drapatyi
At the beginning of the war with Russia in 2014, Drapatyi served as acting commander of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade. In May of that year, under his command, the 2nd battalion entered Mariupol with armored vehicles to reinforce the units stationed there.
From August 2016, he led the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, which carried out combat missions in the Avdiivka and Yasynuvata districts of the Donetsk region.
Starting in July 2017, Drapatyi commanded operations on the Bakhmut highway in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Zone.
From then until January 2024, he commanded the Kherson operational grouping. In February 2024, he was appointed deputy chief of the General Staff of the AFU.
In May of the same year, Drapatyi became the commander of the Kharkiv operational-tactical grouping of troops. In November, he was appointed Commander of the Ground Forces of the AFU.
On January 26, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Major General Drapatyi would be assigned to lead the Khortytsia operational-strategic grouping in the Donetsk region while retaining his position as Commander of the Ground Forces.
