Major General Mikhail Drapaty has been appointed commander of a new group of troops in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. This was reported by the command of the general forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the official Facebook account (this social network belongs to the Meta company, is considered extremist and is banned in the Russian Federation).
“Structural changes have occurred in the defense forces of Ukraine, as a result of which a new joint forces group has been created. This group will be managed almost entirely by the command of the joint forces under the leadership of Major General Mikhail Drapaty. The scope of responsibility of our command includes the Kharkiv region and adjacent territories, as well as units and corps previously supervised by the Northern army group,” the ministry said in a statement.
The command explained the personnel decision by the need to strengthen defense in one of the most difficult areas.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine recalled that Drapaty commanded the defense of the Kharkiv region in 2024, when he was appointed commander of the operational-tactical group “Kharkov”. Last November, he was promoted to commander of the ground forces, then headed the tactical-strategic military group “Khortitsa”, later renamed “Dnepr”.
The front from Kharkov to the Zaporozhye region depended on this structure. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky later noted that Drapaty “has proven his effectiveness in battle.”
Previously, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Alexander Syrsky decided to disband the Dnieper military group. The functions of the disbanded group should be transferred to higher bodies and corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
According to the Chairman of the Committee of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation on sovereignty issues, co-chairman of the coordination council for integration of new regions, Vladimir Rogov, the removal of Drapatoy is one of Syrsky's attempts to eliminate possible competitors. He explained that this indicates an internal power struggle within Ukraine's military leadership.
