Prominent Ukrainian commanders to lead defence of eastern region demanded by Russia
Two prominent commanders will lead new groupings as Ukraine reinforces its eastern strongholds against a Russian push, officials said.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on August 26 that reconfigured units led by Hero of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko and Hero of Ukraine Andrii Biletskyi will reinforce Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast.
- Amid Moscow's offensive focused on the "fortress belt" cities, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his army to seize Donetsk and Luhansk by year-end, with plans to mobilize 300,000 Russian troops this autumn.
- Prokopenko joined the volunteer "Azov" Battalion in 2014, which Biletskyi founded; both commanded Ukrainian forces in critical battles including Mariupol and Kyiv, and analysts suggest Biletskyi's 3rd Army Corps can stop catastrophe on the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk eastern flank.
- During a front-line visit to Oleksandrivka with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi and Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara, President Zelenskyy committed to strengthening protection for Zaporizhzhia and increasing UGV procurement and medium-range strike capabilities.
- Analyst Yurii Butusov warned that retreat from Sloviansk and Kramatorsk could lead to loss of the Donbas, as both formations face constant Russian strikes in heavily contested sectors including Dobropillia and Lyman, which had a pre-war population of around 20,000.
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ADAPTIVE INDOMITABLE UKRAINE to Putin: You Want Donetsk Oblast? You Gotta Get Past Biletskyi, Prokopenko & “Azov”
War is an interesting thing … it forces the “cream to the top”, as it were. They were civilians just a few years ago. One a fiery political activist with…
“This is smart war”: Ukraine is reinforcing two Donetsk groupings, as Russia pushes at fortress cities. Azov commanders will lead both
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced a reinforcement of Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast. This comes amid a Russian offensive against the fortress cities that have defended the region since 2014. Zelenskyy announced the decision after a meeting with Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his army to seize the entire territory of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts by the end of this year…
Top commanders to lead reinforcement of Ukrainian positions in Donetsk Oblast, Zelensky says
Both formations, commanded by Andrii Biletskii and Denys Prokopenko, have been deployed to some of the most heavily contested sectors of the Donetsk sector, including around Dobropillia and Lyman.
Prominent Ukrainian commanders to lead defence of eastern region demanded by Russia
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has appointed two of Ukraine's most prominent commanders to oversee the defence of the country's eastern strongholds, as Kyiv struggles to beat back a Russian onslaught on a region at the centre of stalled peace talks.
Positions in Donetsk region to be strengthened by two reconfigured groupings of forces. Commanders are Prokopenko and Biletskyi – Zelenskyy. VIDEO
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi, the General Staff and Defence Minister Khmara, determined the sequence of further steps.
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