Mr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that Colonel Serhiy Lupanchuk would now command the force, describing him as “an experienced officer, combat officer and a suitable commander”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Reuters
The Ukrainian president said his predecessor for the position, Major General Viktor Horenko, would continue to carry out “special tasks” in the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate.
President Zelenskyy did not provide further explanation for the change. Mr. Horenko said in an interview that he had not been informed of anything.
"I personally don't know the reason," Mr Horenko told the Ukrainska Pravda news site. "I spoke to the commander-in-chief (General Valery Zaluzhnyi), who also couldn't explain. I don't understand what happened."
Special forces are believed to be behind the most complex operations the Ukrainian military has carried out in Russian-controlled areas.
Recent examples include the attack on the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in September and attacks on a patrol boat and a submarine based in Crimea.
The commandos were also responsible for military information and psychological warfare operations, as well as organizing resistance in occupied territories.
Mr Zelenskyy this week praised the Ukrainian military for reducing Moscow’s military power in the Black Sea through increased air and sea drone attacks on Russian military targets.
Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhniy, in an essay published in The Economist this week, said the Russia-Ukraine war has entered a phase of stalemate and attrition that benefits Moscow.
Hoang Ton (according to Reuters)
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