Zelenskyy appoints new commanders of Special Operations Forces and Support Forces

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed the commander of the Special Operations Forces and appointed a new one, Colonel Oleksandr Trepak. A new commander of the Support Forces has also been appointed. The relevant decrees are published on the website of the Office of the President.

By one of the decrees, Zelenskyy dismissed Serhiy Lupanchuk from the post of commander of the Special Operations Forces. Lupanchuk held this position from November 3, 2023. Before him, the SOF commander was Viktor Khorenko, who stated that he was dismissed without warning.

By another decree, the president appointed Oleksandr Trepak as the commander of the SOF.

He served as the deputy commander of the SOF. In December 2021, Zelenskyy gave him the rank of brigadier general. Trepak has the title of Hero of Ukraine, from August 27 to October 3, 2014, he was the senior military commander for the defense of the territory of the Donetsk airport.

Also, on May 9, Zelenskyy appointed Dmytro Hereha as commander of the Armed Forces Support Forces. Previously, this position was held by Brigadier General Oleksandr Yakovets, but on April 26, the president dismissed him. Now he heads the administration of the State Special Transport Service. Yakovets was the commander of the Support Forces for less than two months.

Before Yakovets, it was Hereha who was the commander of the Support Forces from August 2021. Zelenskyy fired him on March 4, 2024.

On May 9, Zelenskyy also dismissed the former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi from military service due to his health condition with the right to wear a military uniform.