Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy named former first deputy defense minister Oleksandr Pavliuk as the new commander of Ukraine’s ground forces in a decree published on Sunday.
A lieutenant-general who served in the ministry for a year, Pavliuk, replaced Col. Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as Ukraine’s armed forces commander this week.
As part of a reconstituted effort to bolster Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s nearly two-year-old invasion, Zelenskiy announced five additional senior military appointments on Saturday.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced army chief General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi with the ground forces commander Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi on Thursday, after months of speculation about a rift between Zelenskiy and Zaluzhnyi, who many Ukrainians see as a national hero.
Ukraine faces a manpower and equipment shortage in 2024 after a year of limited battlefield progress. Its main military backer, the US, may cut aid.
