Latest news with #OperationalCommandSouth
AsiaOne
10 hours ago
- Politics
- AsiaOne
Zelenskiy appoints new commander of Ukraine's land forces, World News
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday (June 19) appointed Hennadiy Shapovalov as commander of Ukraine's land forces, replacing a commander who resigned over a Russian strike on a training area. Shapovalov, whose appointment was announced in a presidential decree, had previously acted as a liaison at a Nato coordination centre in Germany. Before that, he had served as commander of the forces of the Operational Command South. Zelenskiy, speaking later in his nightly video address, said Shapovalov's experience in working with Nato would be put to good use in introducing changes in Ukraine's forces. "All this useful experience of this coordination and all the real combat experience of our soldiers must be applied now within Ukraine's land forces," he said. "Changes are needed and this is an imperative." Shapovalov takes over as head of land forces from Mykhailo Drapatyi, who tendered his resignation this month after a deadly Russian strike on a training camp in southeastern Ukraine. Zelenskiy reassigned Drapatyi to the post of commander of the joint forces as part of a military shakeup. [[nid:719245]]
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Russia claims offensive in Dnipropetrovsk aimed at creating 'buffer zone,' Ukraine denies reports of incursion
Russian forces are conducting their offensive in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk Oblast as part of efforts to create a "buffer zone" on Ukrainian territory, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on June 9, according to Russian state-controlled media. Peskov's comments allude to Russia's claims that neighboring Ukrainian Donetsk Oblast belongs to Moscow. The claim is based on Russia's proclaimed annexation of the region in September 2022. Kremlin spokesperson comments follow weeks of renewed Russian advances in Donetsk Oblast and President Vladimir Putin's May 22 statement that Moscow is working to establish a "security buffer zone" along Ukraine's borders with Kursk, Bryansk, and Belgorod oblasts. Ukrainian officials denied Russia's latest claims of progress in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. "As of the morning of June 9, all Russian information, including Peskov's statements, about an offensive in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast does not correspond to reality,' said Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation. Operational Command South reported on June 8 that Russian troops are continuing attempts to break into Dnipropetrovsk Oblast but described the situation as "tense" rather than indicating any successful advance. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on June 8 that its forces had entered Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Ukrainian officials immediately rejected the assertion. Viktor Trehubov, spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces, also called the reports false, telling CNN that Russian forces had not advanced from the Pokrovsk or Novopavlivka directions, where the three oblasts of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk converge. Since 2014, Russian aggression has heavily impacted Donetsk Oblast, while Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has remained free from confirmed ground incursions. Ukraine rejected similar Russian claims in May, when officials debunked allegedly fabricated photos purportedly showing Russian troops in the region. Despite this, Dnipropetrovsk has faced frequent Russian missile and drone attacks throughout the full-scale war. The region began mandatory evacuations from four front-line villages in April as a precaution. Read also: Ukraine says it hit Russian MiG-31, Su-30/34 fighter jets following attack on airfield We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
