Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Dmytro Hereha as commander of the Ukrainian Support Forces, replacing him with Oleksandr Yakovets, according to a decree issued on 4 March.
The appointment of Yakovets is part of Zelensky’s personnel reshuffle in Ukraine’s military command, which included the resignation of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Valery Zaluzhny.
The Support Forces is one of the major formations of the AFU, which is responsible for the operational support of troops. It is in charge of engineering support, electronic warfare, radiation, chemical and biological defence, as well as topographical and hydrometeorological maintenance.
Earlier in February, Zelensky announced several appointments to high-ranking military posts, including commanders of the Ground Forces, the Territorial Defence Forces, the Combined Forces, and the Airborne Assault Forces.
Military experts believe that the personnel reshuffles are related to an attempt to move Zaluzhny’s circle out of the Ukrainian army’s command.
After months of speculation regarding disagreements between Zelensky and Zaluzhny, the president replaced the previous commander-in-chief on 8 February with General Oleksandr Syrskyi, former head of the Ground Forces, who had commanded troops in the battle for Bucha.
