The Minister of Defense confirmed that the dismissal of the head of the SOF, Khorenko, took place at his request

Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov confirmed that the dismissal of SOF commander Viktor Horenko took place at his request.

"Major General Khorenko is now needed in a certain direction, he will continue his service in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine," the minister wrote.

He noted that to comment additionally on the reasons and prerequisites for the change of military leadership positions during the war is to "provide reasons for the enemy to weaken Ukraine."

Before that, the deputy head of the Presidentʼs Office, Roman Mashovets, said that Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Viktor Khorenko at the request of the Minister of Defense.

What happened

On November 3, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Viktor Khorenko from the post of commander of the Special Operations Forces by decree. He appointed Colonel Serhii Lupanchuk in his place.

Later, in his evening address, Zelensky noted that Serhii Lupanchuk took part in the battles. "He is an experienced officer, a combat officer, a proper commander and someone who can add more power to our Special Operations Forces. We are waiting for new results," the president said.

According to him, Lupanchukʼs predecessor, Viktor Khorenko, will continue to perform special tasks as part of the GUR.

Meanwhile, Khorenko said that he learned about the dismissal from publications in the media and did not know the reason for the dismissal.