President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s decree, published May 26, 2025, abolished the tradition of celebrating Special Operations Forces (SOF) Day on July 29, as it had been observed in previous years.
Ukraine will now celebrate the day on May 27 “in honor of the courage and heroism of the soldiers of the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, shown in the fight for freedom, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as in order to establish new military traditions,” the decree states.
The SOF command explained that on May 27, 2014, soldiers of the special forces regiments — who would later become the SOF — along with comrades from other components of the Defense Forces, conducted an operation to liberate the new terminal of Donetsk Airport and planted the Ukrainian flag there.
The Special Operations Forces are one of the youngest branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, often assigned the most complex and dangerous tasks. According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the SOF includes special forces units, the Resistance Movement, and psychological operations units. SOF soldiers typically operate with the most modern weapons and equipment and use cutting-edge military technologies.
“SOF successfully perform tasks that others consider impossible. They are professionals in the impossible,” the Defense Ministry said. “Special Operations Forces units are the first to enter the enemy’s rear by land, sea, and air, preparing the ground for operations to liberate Ukraine from enemies.”
The SOF’s involvement in key operations — including the defense of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts; the liberation of Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea; the rapid counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast; the liberation of Kherson; the battle for Bakhmut; the defense of Avdiivka, Chasiv Yar and Vovchansk; and operations in Russia’s Kursk Oblast — has been cited as a “striking example of the actions of modern, professional, and effective soldiers.”
The SOF’s Resistance Movement develops agent networks in temporarily occupied territories and organizes efforts against Russian troops. These units carry out sabotage, destroy logistics routes and enemy equipment, disrupt Russian supply chains, and support other units of Ukraine’s Defense Forces in liberating southern and eastern territories.
SOF psychological operations units also plan and execute missions to influence enemy forces, both at the front line and deep behind enemy lines.
The Special Operations Forces Directorate was established in 2007 as a structural unit of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, during the tenure of Defense Minister Anatoliy Hrytsenko. The directorate existed in this form until 2012.
Russia’s occupation of Crimea and its invasion of Donbas accelerated the formation of a separate Special Operations Forces branch. The SOF was formally established in 2016 and remained the youngest branch of Ukraine’s Armed Forces until the creation of the Unmanned Systems Forces in 2024.
The original decree establishing July 29 as SOF Day was signed in 2016 by then-President Petro Poroshenko. It has now been moved to May 27 by President Zelenskyy’s decision.
Today, the SOF is considered one of the most modern components of Ukraine’s military and the elite of its armed forces.
According to the official website of the Special Operations Forces, their main tasks include:
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enforcing the legal regime of martial law and states of emergency;
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conducting military information and psychological operations;
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protecting the lives of citizens and state property abroad;
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participating in the fight against illegal arms and drug trafficking;
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organizing and supporting the Resistance Movement;
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combating terrorism and piracy;
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securing Ukraine’s maritime navigation;
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engaging in international military cooperation.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, four commanders have led the SOF:
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Maj. Gen. Hryhoriy Halahan (until July 2022);
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Maj. Gen. Viktor Khorenko (July 2022 – November 2023);
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Col. Serhii Lupanchuk (November 2023 – May 2024);
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Brig. Gen. Oleksandr Trepak (since May 2024).
The SOF’s symbol is a silver werewolf with golden eyes. It holds two arrows in its mouth: a broken one representing a destroyed enemy, and a whole one symbolizing a neutralized enemy.
According to legend, the Cossack-charakternyks could transform into wolves and catch arrows with their bare hands — an image the SOF emblem draws upon. The emblem also features a golden bident, the sign of Prince Sviatoslav the Brave (10th century), who is regarded as the SOF’s patron.
“Their color is steel. Their slogan, ‘I’m coming for you,’ has existed for more than a thousand years, since the time of the Kyivan Prince Sviatoslav the Brave, who destroyed his enemies with a bident on his shield. Today, this bifurcated tooth, together with the werewolf — a symbol of a warrior with supernatural abilities — form the emblem of the Special Operations Forces,” the Defense Ministry said.
In 2024, President Zelenskyy praised the SOF for “heroic operations” both behind enemy lines and in the defense and de-occupation of Ukrainian territories, beginning with the battle for Donetsk Airport in 2014, and including actions in Hostomel, Kherson Oblast, and the Kharkiv counteroffensive.
Since spring 2024, SOF recruitment centers have opened in Kyiv and other cities.
Those interested in joining can receive detailed information and professional support in person. The Kyiv recruiting center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 7 Obolonska Naberezhna, Building 1.
The center offers:
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consultations on training, benefits, and service conditions in the SOF;
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assistance in choosing a military specialty;
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full legal support during enlistment.
SOF instructors train recruits in various specialties according to NATO standards at SOF training centers across Ukraine. Candidates from other military branches must pass a qualification course based on the U.S. Special Forces program to join the SOF.