Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The military leadership of Ukraine has seen several changes in 2026.
On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Major General Hennadii Shapovalov as commander of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and put a career airborne officer with a reputation for pushing unmanned systems in his place.
The president appointed Brigadier General Sviatoslav Zaiets to the post through presidential decree No. 853/2026, with a parallel decree relieving Shapovalov.
No public reason was given for the change, which reshapes the leadership of the largest branch of Ukraine’s military as heavy fighting continues in Donetsk and along the eastern front.
An airborne officer with a drone-and-digitalization profile
Zaiets is not a conventional armor or infantry pick. He spent most of his career in the Air Assault Forces, most recently as chief of staff and deputy commander of the 8th Air Assault Corps, before taking over the 20th Army Corps in April 2026 with responsibility for a sector of the front in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, which first reported the decree, Zaiets used his time at the 20th Army Corps to push digitalization of command systems and the expansion of unmanned systems capabilities, a portfolio that mirrors Kyiv’s broader wartime bet on cheap drones and networked targeting over mass and materiel.
His combat record reaches back to the start of the war with Russia. In 2014, then a captain, Zaiets commanded a reconnaissance company of the 25th Airborne Brigade during Russia’s seizure of Crimea, holding the unit together under blockade before withdrawing to mainland Ukraine.
He was promoted to brigadier general in May 2026.
Another shake-up
During the summer, the popular minister of defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, left his position, sparking nationwide protests in Ukraine for a month, as the public wanted the minister reinstated.
It is uncertain why Fedorov left, but there have been rumors about tension between Fedorov and the then-commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian forces, Oleksandr Syrskyi.
According to Fedorov, Zelenskyy offered him a spot on the team as an adviser—an offer Fedorov turned down.
Why the choice matters for Washington
The United States remains the single largest supplier of weapons and financing to Ukraine’s military, and successive US administrations have pressed Kyiv to spend that support on capabilities that can offset Russian numerical advantages.
Handing the Ground Forces to a commander focused around drones and digital command fits that direction and gives US planners a clearer counterpart for programs tied to unmanned systems and battlefield software.
Zaiets assumes command with immediate operational responsibility for the front in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts, where Russian forces have pressed a summer offensive.
