Former Air Assault Forces commander Ihor Skybiuk to become chief of Ukraine's General Staff

Major General Ihor Skybiuk will become the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)

Quote: "We determined the sequence of the next steps. Today, the decisions on the changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalised – the relevant decrees are in preparation.

Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that Major General Ihor Skybiuk will become the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He is a highly experienced officer who defended Ukraine shoulder to shoulder with the new commander-in-chief.

It is important that all components of our Armed Forces continue to function in complete coordination. We also determined together how Oleksandr Syrskyi and Andrii Hnatov will continue serving in the defence of our country."

Details: Skybiuk, who previously commanded Ukraine's Air Assault Forces, was appointed deputy chief of the General Staff in June 2025.

He had served in the Halychyna unit – Ukraine's 80th Air Assault Brigade – from 1998.

While commanding the brigade, he helped defend Kherson Oblast during Russia's full-scale invasion.

The brigade later took part in Ukraine's successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in autumn 2022. According to official statements, Skybiuk's "decisive and timely" actions played a key role in the liberation of the town of Izium.

For his role in the Kharkiv counteroffensive, Skybiuk was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine.

Following the Kharkiv counteroffensive in autumn 2022, Skybiuk moved to the Air Assault Forces command, where he later served as chief of staff and deputy commander before being appointed commander in February 2024.

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