Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed Brig. Gen.
Hennadii Shapovalov as Commander of the Ukrainian Ground Forces, according to a
decree published on the presidential website Thursday, June 19.
Shapovalov succeeds Mykhailo Drapatyi, who resigned on June 1 after a Russian missile strike hit one of Ukraine’s military training bases. On June 3, Zelenskyy made Drapatyi the new Joint Forces Commander.
Born in 1978, Shapovalov led Operational Command South between April 2024 and Feb. 4, 2025. His career included commanding the 59th Motorized Infantry Brigade.
In 2022, Shapovalov headed the Main Department of Military Cooperation for the Armed Forces. On June 20, 2023, he joined Ukraine’s Commission on Euro-Atlantic Integration Coordination, and in January 2025, Zelenskyy appointed him to coordinate foreign military aid shipments and distribution.