Ukraine has shifted Brig. Gen. Andrii Biletskyi from command of the Third Army Corps to a broader battlefield role overseeing three corps, expanding his responsibilities in Donetsk region.
Biletskyi said at an Oct. 19 briefing that Dmytro Rohoziuk had taken over the Third Army Corps. The corps confirmed Rohoziuk’s appointment to Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne.
Biletskyi said the Center grouping under his command includes the 3rd, 11th and 19th corps. He estimated that it covers 26% of Ukraine’s front and named Lyman, Sloviansk and Kramatorsk among the areas in its sector.
Rohoziuk previously commanded the 60th Separate Mechanized Brigade. He said the brigade participated in all four stages of Operation Vivaldi, and the corps listed it among the units involved.
In an Oct. 14 update, the corps said the operation had regained 277 square kilometers and 16 settlements across its four stages. Both totals are unverified corps claims. The corps put the fourth stage’s territorial gain at 101 square kilometers.
On Aug. 26, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Biletskyi and Denys Prokopenko would lead two reorganized groupings in Donetsk region. He presented the changes as part of a plan to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses there.
Biletskyi described the Center grouping as an ad hoc structure whose commander lacked the tools to carry out plans. He also said it had no clear planning procedures, and identified logistics and coordination as priorities for his command.
