President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy decided to replace the commander of the combined forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Yury Sodol, with Brigadier General Andrii Hnatov.
He stated this in an evening address on June 24. After that, the corresponding decrees No. 374/2024 and No. 375/2024 appeared on the presidentʼs website.
The day before, the Chief of Staff of the 12th Special Forces Brigade "Azov" Bohdan Krotevych announced that he had filed an application against the unnamed general with the Security Intelligence Service. Obviously, it was about Mr. Sodol.
Krotevych wrote that he "killed more Ukrainian soldiers than any other Russian general", so he is asking the State Bureau to open criminal proceedings and start an investigation.
What is known about Andrii Hnatov
In June 2022, Hnatov received the rank of brigadier general and a chevron personally from the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
Currently, he has been awarded three state awards:
- Medal "For Military Service to Ukraine" (July 3, 2015) — for courage and high professionalism shown in the defense of Ukraine, maintaining the combat capability of the Naval Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, loyalty to the oath.
- Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi of the 3rd century (August 21, 2020) — for a significant personal contribution to strengthening Ukraineʼs defense capabilities, courage and professionalism, demonstrated during hostilities.
- Cross of Military Merit (July 27, 2022) — for remarkable personal merits in the defense of the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, selfless service to the Ukrainian people, loyalty to the military oath.
In 2001, Andrii Hnatov graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops. From 2016 to 2018, he headed the headquarters of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, after which he commanded the 36th Separate Marine Brigade named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Belinsky.
In 2022, he headed the headquarters and became the deputy commander of the troops of the operational command "South" of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In 2022, he replaced General Dmytro Marchenko, leading the defense of Mykolaiv.
In November 2022, he was one of the commanders responsible for the liberation of Kherson Oblast.
In the spring of 2023, he was in charge of the defense of Bakhmut, which was in the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia air defense unit under the command of Oleksandr Syrskyi.
Andriy Hnatov was one of the officers who formed units of the renewed marines from the units that left the occupied Crimea.