Former commander of the Joint Forces, Gnatov, has been appointed as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has appointed Andrei Gnatov as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Prior to this, he served as the Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The minister announced this on Facebook.
In his new role, the Major General will be responsible for force generation and cooperation with partners.
As emphasized by the Minister of Defense, Gnatov has over 27 years of experience in the military. “I am confident that his knowledge and skills will contribute to strengthening our country's defense capabilities,” Umerov stressed.
Recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Gnatov from his position as Commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces, a role he held since June 26, 2024.
In this position, he replaced Yuriy Sodol, who was dismissed after the Chief of Staff of the "Azov" Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, Bohdan Krotevych, filed a statement with the State Bureau of Investigations, calling for an investigation into the combat general.
More about Gnatov
Gnatov is a veteran of the Marine Corps. In 2001, he graduated from the Kharkiv Institute of Tank Troops. As an officer, he served, among other places, in Crimea. Subsequently, he participated in the formation of new Marine Corps units from the divisions that exited the peninsula after its annexation by Russia. From 2018 to 2021, he commanded the 36th Marine Brigade.
After the onset of the full-scale invasion, Gnatov became the Deputy Commander of the troops of Operational Command "South" and was one of the leaders of the defense of Mykolaiv, and in June 2022, he received the rank of Brigadier General.
In the spring of 2023, the general was in charge of the defense of Bakhmut, during which he closely collaborated with the current Commander-in-Chief Syrsky. Following the latter's appointment, Gnatov became the commander of the troops of Operational Command "East".