On March 16, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appointed Major-General Andriy Hnatov as Ukraine’s chief of the general staff, replacing Lieutenant-General Anatoliy Barhilevych. This decree, published on the presidential website, follows Ukraine’s faltering incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, where Kyiv’s forces have suffered significant setbacks. Defence Minister Rustem Umerov framed the move as part of a broader push to enhance combat readiness, stating, “We are changing the armed forces to meet clear standards and improve our management system.”

Ukraine’s Kursk offensive, launched in August 2024, aimed to seize Russian territory as a bargaining chip for peace talks. Initially, Kyiv controlled over 1,300 square kilometers, including the town of Sudzha. However, a Russian counteroffensive, bolstered by North Korean troops, has reclaimed most of this ground, reducing Ukraine’s hold to roughly 110 square kilometers by mid-March 2025. The loss of Sudzha last week underscored the operation’s unraveling, prompting scrutiny of Ukraine’s military leadership.

Hnatov, with 27 years of experience, including combat command in Donetsk, steps into a critical role. His task: to stabilize a force strained by recent defeats. Meanwhile, Barhilevych transitions to enforcing military standards, a move suggesting internal discipline issues amid the Kursk retreat. As Russia threatens Ukraine’s Sumy region next, this leadership shake-up reflects Kyiv’s urgent bid to adapt after a costly miscalculation in Kursk, with Hnatov’s tenure likely to shape the war’s next phase.