Kyiv reshuffles senior Air Force command
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced several high-level appointments of Air Force and General Staff officers, in a Facebook post on March 28.
After consulting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Umerov signed orders appointing:
- Maj. Gen. Oleksiy Marchenko as deputy chief of the General Staff;
- Brig. Gen. Serhiy Holubtsov as deputy commander of the Air Force;
- Col. Oleksandr Dyakiv as aviation chief and deputy commander of the Air Force.
“Major General Marchenko has more than 30 years of aviation experience,” Umerov said in the statement.
“He began his career as a flight instructor, served in reconnaissance and fighter regiments, and later commanded both a squadron and a tactical aviation brigade. He has also served as first deputy commander and then commander of the Western Air Command… and contributed to rebuilding Ukraine’s combat aviation capabilities during the war.”
Holubtsov most recently was part of the Air Force’s senior leadership team responsible for personnel training.
Dyakiv, with nearly 30 years of military service, rose from pilot to commander of a tactical aviation brigade. He also led a retraining and qualification center for aviation personnel.
In a subsequent message, Zelenskyy also announced that Umerov will Oleksandr Kozenko as the specialized deputy for combat aviation. Kozenko has overseen the integration of Western F-16 and Dassault Mirage-2000 jets into the Ukrainian Air Force.
“Today I approved several personnel decisions that will strengthen our defense capabilities—the aviation component of our forces,” Zelenskyy said.
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