Zelenskyy appoints Shapovalov as new commander of Ukraine’s Ground Forces

This is stated in Presidential Decree No. 412/2025.

"To appoint Hennadii Shapovalov as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the decree says.

Hennadii Shapovalov is a brigadier general of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He graduated with honors from the Tank Troops Institute of Kharkiv State Polytechnic University, and later from the Command and Staff Institute for the Use of Troops (Forces) of the National Defense University of Ukraine. He also completed studies at the U.S. Army War College, which trains senior officers of the Ground Forces.

Shapovalov has gone through all stages of a military career – from commander of a tank platoon to commander of the separate motorized infantry brigade named after Yakiv Handziuk.

On April 16, 2024, he was appointed commander of the troops of the operational command South. On February 4, 2025, he announced that he was leaving this position.

• On June 1, the Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi, submitted his resignation due to the deadly Russian missile strike that hit the 239th training ground in the Dnipropetrovsk region. For some reason, a Russian spy drone was not detected and destroyed in time, despite Ukraine's developed methods for spotting and shooting down such UAVs. Russia launched a ballistic missile from the Iskander-M complex, armed with a cluster warhead, resulting in numerous casualties.

• On June 11, Drapatyi completed his duties as Commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He stated that he was leaving the post "with a clear conscience."