Svyatoslav Zaits became the new commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Svyatoslav Zaits became the new commander of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since April 2026, he has commanded the 20th Army Corps.

This is stated in Decree No. 853/2026, published on the website of the Office of the President.

In another decree, Zelensky dismissed Hennadii Shapovalov from this position. He had been in office since 2025.

Zaits has commanded the 20th Army Corps since April 2026. Prior to that, he was the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the 8th Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In 2014, Svyatoslav Zaits was in Crimea for military exercises when the Russians began occupying the peninsula. He served in the reconnaissance company of the 25th Separate Airborne Brigade and participated in the unitʼs withdrawal to mainland Ukraine.

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