Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made new changes to military leadership on Thursday, dismissing the commander of the special operations forces. This marks the second time in six months that a commander of this unit has been removed. The decree announcing the dismissal of Colonel Serhiy Lobanchoi and appointing Brigadier Oleksandr Tribak as his replacement was posted on the president's website, but no explanation was provided for this move.
Since February, the leadership of the Ukrainian army has seen multiple changes, including the significant dismissal of the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who was replaced by then-commander of the ground forces, Oleksandr Syrskii. At that time, Zelensky stated that a new military leadership would take charge of the armed forces and promised to "reboot" the system by bringing in experienced leaders who understand the daily needs of the troops.
These changes coincided with the commencement of Russian forces advancing eastward, capitalizing on numerical deficiencies in Ukrainian ranks and dwindling artillery stocks. In a separate decree issued on Thursday, Zelensky also reinstated Dmytro Kherkha as the commander of army support forces, a position from which he had been dismissed in March without explanation.
Lobanchoi was appointed to lead the special forces last November following the sudden removal of his predecessor Viktor Khoreńko. The dismissal of Khoreńko at that time was seen as a sign of increasing discord between Zelensky and the then-commander-in-chief, who was dismissed months later. While special forces do not have a public presence, they are believed to have participated in significant operations in Ukraine.
