Kharkiv troop grouping gets "highly effective" new commander, according to sources
The commander of the Kharkiv operational and tactical troop grouping was replaced in the first days of the offensive of Russian troops on Kharkiv Oblast, two high-ranking sources in the Defense Forces confirmed in a comment to LIGA.net. According to public broadcaster Suspilne's source at the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the grouping's new commander is Deputy Chief of the General Staff Mykhailo Drapatyi.
This decision was made due to the need to increase the effectiveness of the troops in this sector, according to LIGA.net's interlocutors.
Drapatyi will reportedly replace Yuriy Halushkin, who became the commander of the Kharkiv operational and tactical troop grouping at the beginning of April 2024.
LIGA.net's sources in the Defense Forces evaluate the new commander as extremely efficient and experienced.
At the beginning of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, Drapatyi was the commander of the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade, and in April 2014, the 72nd Brigade was in full force in eastern Ukraine and was ready to perform combat missions.
Under the command of Drapatyi, the 2nd Battalion of the 72nd Brigade entered Mariupol in May 2014 on armored vehicles to reinforce the units.
In August 2016, he was appointed commander of the 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade, which at that time was performing tasks in the Avdiivka and Yasynuvata districts of Donetsk Oblast. From July 2017, he directed the actions of the 58th Infantry Brigade near the Bakhmut highway directly in the zone of the Anti-Terrorist Operation.
In August 2019, the 58th Brigade received another commander, and Drapatyi began a two-year course as a student at the Ivan Chernyakhovskyi National Defense University of Ukraine.
Until January 2024, Drapatyi headed the Kherson operational grouping. He is known as one of the commanders who led the liberation of the west bank of Kherson Oblast. In February 2024, he was appointed deputy chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
On May 12, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that all necessary measures are being taken to strengthen the defense and decisions are being made promptly, in particular regarding personnel.
In the early hours of May 10, the Russian forces launched a new wave of offensives in Kharkiv Oblast. The Russian troops tried to break through the Ukrainian defense line under the cover of armored vehicles. The Ukrainian Armed Forces sent reserve units there.
The spokesman of the Khortytsia operational and strategic troop grouping Nazar Voloshyn said that the Russians are trying to force the Ukrainian military to move forces and means from the Donetsk sector to the Kharkiv sector, in particular through information campaigns. He reported that the Defense Forces are carrying out counterattacks and are deploying reserves for the axes where the Russian units managed to break through.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Syrskyi noted that fighting continues in the border areas in the Kharkiv sector. The situation there is difficult.
On May 12, 1,600 people were evacuated from the Vovchansk area, and in total, 5,500 people were evacuated in Kharkiv Oblast in recent days.
On May 13, the head of the Kharkiv regional governor stated that Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast are attacking in small groups on new axes, trying to stretch the defense of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The situation is difficult, but the Ukrainian military repels all enemy attacks.