Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces
Ukrainian military position
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The commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces (Ukrainian: Командувач Сухопутних військ) is the professional head of the Ukrainian Ground Forces. In 2001–2005 it was known as commander-in-chief (Ukrainian: Головнокомандувач Сухопутних військ).
AbbreviationCGF ZSU
Reports toCommander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
| Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces | |
|---|---|
| Командувач Сухопутних військ ЗС України | |
Ensign of the Commander | |
since 19 June 2025 | |
 Ukrainian Ground Forces | |
| Abbreviation | CGF ZSU |
| Member of | General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces |
| Reports to | Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces |
| Residence | Kyiv |
| Appointer | The president |
| Formation | 7 April 1994 |
| First holder | Vasyl Sobkov |
While the chief of ground forces post had been created in early 1992, it was over two years before the first holder, Colonel General Vasyl Sobkov, was appointed on 7 April 1994.[1]
List of commanders
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of office | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
| Commander (Командувач Сухопутних військ) | ||||||
| 1 | Colonel General Vasyl Sobkov (1944–2020) | 7 April 1994 | 30 September 1998 | 4 years, 5 months | . | |
| 2 | Colonel General Petro Shulyak (born 1945) | 30 September 1998 | 20 August 2001 | 2 years, 10 months | . | |
| Commander-in-Chief (Головнокомандувач Сухопутних військ) | ||||||
| (2) | Colonel General Petro Shulyak (born 1945) | 20 August 2001 | 27 November 2001 | 3 months | . | |
| – | Lieutenant General Mykola Palchuk (1945–2016) Acting | 27 November 2001 | 19 December 2001 | 22 days | . | |
| 3 | Colonel General Oleksandr Zatynaiko (born 1949) | 19 December 2001 | 13 August 2002 | 7 months | . | |
| – | Lieutenant General Mykola Palchuk (1945–2016) Acting | 13 August 2002 | October 2003 | 1 year, 2 months | . | |
| – | Lieutenant General Valeriy Frolov (born 1949) Acting | November 2003 | 19 July 2004 | 8 months | . | |
| 4 | Colonel General Mykola Petruk (born 1950) | 19 July 2004 | 16 June 2005 | 10 months | . | |
| Commander (Командувач Сухопутних військ) | ||||||
| (4) | Colonel General Mykola Petruk (born 1950) | 16 June 2005 | 6 May 2006 | 10 months | . | |
| 5 | Lieutenant General Valeriy Frolov (born 1949) | 26 May 2006 | 28 June 2007 | 1 year, 1 month | . | |
| 6 | Colonel General Ivan Svyda (born 1950) | 25 June 2007 | 18 November 2009 | 2 years, 4 months | . | |
| 7 | Colonel General Henadii Vorobiov (1961–2017) | 18 November 2009 | 17 January 2014 | 4 years, 1 month | . | |
| – | ? Acting | 17 January 2014 | 6 April 2014 | 2 months | . | |
| – | Lieutenant General Anatoliy Pushnyakov (1954–2021) Acting | 6 April 2014 | 6 May 2014 | 1 month | [2] | |
| 8 | Lieutenant General Anatoliy Pushnyakov (1954–2021) | 6 May 2014 | 13 January 2016 | 1 year, 8 months | [3] | |
| – | Lieutenant General Ruslan Khomchak (born 1967) Acting | 13 January 2016 | 28 March 2016 | 2 months | [4] | |
| 9 | Colonel General Serhiy Popko (born 1961) | 28 March 2016 | 5 August 2019 | 3 years, 4 months | [5] | |
| 10 | Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi (born 1965) | 5 August 2019 | 11 February 2024 | 4 years, 6 months | [6] | |
| 11 | Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavliuk (born 1970) | 11 February 2024 | 29 November 2024 | 10 months | [7] | |
| 12 | Major General Mykhailo Drapatyi (born 1982) | 29 November 2024 | 1 June 2025 | 6 months | [8][9] | |
| 13 | Brigadier General Hennadii Shapovalov (born 1978) | 19 June 2025 | Incumbent | 10 months | [10] | |
See also
- Commander of the Navy (Ukraine)
- Commander of the Air Force (Ukraine)
- Commander of the Air Defence Forces (Ukraine)
- Commander of the Air Assault Forces (Ukraine)
- Commander of the Marine Corps (Ukraine)