The General Staff has announced that by decree of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Major General Andrii Hnatov has been appointed Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to Babel.
Since late February 2025, Hnatov has served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In his new position, he is tasked with enhancing the efficiency of the Armed Forces’ command structure, particularly amid ongoing reforms and the implementation of a corps-based system.
Lieutenant General Anatolii Barhylevych, who previously led the General Staff, will remain in service as Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense. In this position, he will oversee military reforms and ensure compliance with defense legislation.
Hnatov graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Armored Forces in 2001. From 2016 to 2018, he served as Chief of Staff of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, later taking command of the brigade, named after Rear Admiral Mykhailo Bilynskyi.
In 2022, he was appointed Chief of Staff and Deputy Commander of the Operational Command South of Ukraine’s Ground Forces. That same year, he replaced General Dmytro Marchenko as the head of Mykolaiv’s defense and was among the commanders responsible for liberating parts of the Kherson region.
In the spring of 2023, Hnatov led the defense of Bakhmut within the area of responsibility of the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group under the command of General Oleksandr Syrskyi. He was also among the officers who helped reorganize Ukraine’s Marine Corps, drawing from units that had withdrawn from occupied Crimea.
In June 2024, Hnatov was appointed Commander of the Joint Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, replacing Lieutenant General Yurii Sodol. The appointment followed a formal complaint against Sodol by Bohdan Krotevych, former Chief of Staff of the Azov Brigade, to the State Bureau of Investigation.
On 17 March, President Zelenskyy had a meeting with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Hnatov, Espreso reported.
During the meeting, they discussed the situation on the frontline. The Ukrainian president instructed the defense minister to urgently form a team to coordinate with international partners on Ukraine’s security architecture and to implement military-political decisions.
“This team must already take part in a meeting of military representatives in London this week,” Zelenskyy said.
He also directed the Chief of the General Staff to expedite the formation of a corps system within Ukraine’s Defense Forces and to conduct an audit of the current needs of combat brigades.
“Our brigades must be fully equipped to ensure the resilience of our positions, both on the battlefield and in diplomatic efforts,” the Ukrainian leader emphasized.
Zelenskyy said that strengthening the army is Ukraine’s permanent priority, and “there can be no retreat on this matter.” Ukraine’s Defense and Security Forces, the defense industry, and deep cooperation with partners are the foundation of our independence, he added.