Pavlo Yelizarov, commander of the “Lasarʼs Group” special forces unit, was appointed the new deputy commander of the Air Force.
President Volodymyr Zelensky reported this in an evening address.
He also reported a new approach to the use of air defense by the Air Force.
"Regarding mobile fire groups, interceptor drones, and other means of ʼsmallʼ air defense. This system will be transformed," the president explained.
Zelensky noted that, together with the Minister of Defense and the military command, a new model for organizing this air defense component will be developed. He emphasized that the decision will be made within the framework of updating the Ukrainian sky defense system.
Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov clarified that he signed an order appointing Yelizarov, known by the call sign "Lazar".
According to Fedorov, Yelizarov will be responsible for the development of small air defense and the direction of drone interception. Under his leadership, the “Lasarʼs Group” unit has become one of the most productive in the Defense Forces — the team has destroyed enemy equipment worth over $13 billion, and every fifth Russian tank destroyed is the result of its work. Now they plan to scale this experience to the entire country.
The Minister of Defense emphasized that the goal is to build an anti-drone dome over Ukraine. According to him, this is a systemic reform that will not yield instant results, but should ensure the countryʼs survival and the protection of civilian infrastructure right now.
- Pavlo Yelizarov is a Ukrainian military commander, an officer in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He headed the “Lasarʼs Group” combat unit, which specializes in the use of drones and high-precision target strikes. Under Yelizarovʼs leadership, the unit became one of the most effective in the Defense Forces. Its fighters destroyed a significant number of armored vehicles and artillery of the Russian army and were consistently among the leaders of the "Army of Drones" project.
- Yelizarov is considered one of the commanders who first systematically introduced modern drone tactics on the battlefield, combining technology with practical combat experience.
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