ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday signed a decree appointing Hennadii Shapovalov as the new commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces, more than two weeks after the post was vacated following a major military reshuffle.

The decree, which was published on the website of Ukraine’s presidential office, confirmed Shapovalov’s appointment to the post vacated by Mykhailo Drapatyi, who submitted his resignation after Kyiv said a Russian missile attack targeted a training center in the Dnipropetrovsk region on June 1, killing 12 servicemen and injuring over 60.

Two days following the incident, Zelenskyy signed multiple decrees in a major military reshuffle, including one confirming Drapatyi’s resignation, and another appointing him as the commander of the joint forces.

Before his appointment, Shapovalov served as the commander of Ukraine’s Operational Command South, a formation of armed forces operating in the south, starting from April 2024.

He officially resigned from the post this February, after which he assumed the task of coordinating security assistance for Ukraine with partners in the German city of Wiesbaden, to which he was appointed by Zelenskyy in mid-January.

The city hosts the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, which started operations in December last year.